Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Just Let Go

Chapter 41

When Caius and Yeul finally got back to the compound, she went straight to her rooms for the night. When he tried to follow her in, she stopped and practically glared at him. "Not tonight. I wish to be alone. You should find your own bed as well. The guards will be enough."

While he was the one true Guardian, Caius could not protect the Seeress all day every day, she was right about that much. It was only that he usually did not go to his bed and leave her protection to the others until much later. Still, he could not refute her desire to be alone. He gave her a salute. "As you wish. I will be here for you in the morning."

She barely nodded to him before she turned and shut the door. Caius sighed and wondered if her irritation had to do with the conversation they had earlier. Probably. That reminder, and why it had come up, made his heart clench painfully. He ignored it as he called out to the two closest guards. "The Seeress has retired for the night. Place a guard at her door until I return in the morning."

They both saluted, and one turned to take up a place next to her door while the other went to find two more to assist. One to join the one at her door and another to take the position of the one that was guarding the gate to the outer courtyard.

Once Caius was assured that the Seeress was watched safely, he turned to take her advice. Though he could not shake off thoughts of what she had said, nor of what he had seen. Somehow, while he was thinking and distracted, his feet had managed to take him to the exit of the compound instead of the sleeping quarters.

He stared at the gate for several minutes as he contemplated doing something that went against the grain. Finally, he came to a conclusion and turned to implement it before he could change his mind again. If he did not, he would end up standing there all night.

He knew he could not leave from the front gate, but there was a way he could leave undetected. Getting back in would be harder, but he would worry about that later. As he climbed over the wall, a part of his mind reminded him that he might not like what he found. Still, he had to know. He could not find peace if he did not.

Once he was out of the compound, he jogged down the path and into the city. He started to head back to where the festival was probably still in full swing but decided that perhaps he should go there by way of the temporary lodgings.

If Elle had retired early, it was possible she would be there already. Not that the thought of knowing she was there with Laer was any easier for him to swallow, but he could not seem to shake this manic energy off. It wasn't until he almost stepped into the square that he realized it was not empty.

His breath caught in his lungs as he caught sight of the moonlight glinting off of blonde locks and blue feathers. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of Elle, alone, sitting on the edge of the fountain. It started racing when she looked up, though when he caught her whispered words, he felt it shatter all over again.

He almost stepped out and showed himself, but he could not take that step. Seeing this, knowing that she was alone, that she had not moved on, was enough. Though hearing her words made him realize that might not be the case for long.

When he saw what she was holding, he reached out unconsciously but brought his hand back in a fist. No matter his desire, he could not do this to her. Not now. He had pushed her away and wanted her to move on, to give him peace of mind knowing that she could be happy without him. And yet, seeing this, hearing her tell him goodbye as the one connection they shared fell away from her, it was almost too much. Still, he knew calling out would not help her, so he bit his tongue.

He watched until she was inside the building before he finally moved into the square. He stared down at the water for some time, not quite knowing why. It wasn't until he impulsively bent to retrieve the tooth that he realized what had held him there. He looked at the dripping item for several minutes before he silently turned to go back to the complex with the tooth fisted in his hand.

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Ingens had watched Elle from the shadows of the doorway with sad eyes. It had become evident to him over time that she had cared a great deal for Caius. It was not merely a matter of lust between them. That did not make him regret his decision, though sometimes he did wonder if they had all judged the couple too harshly. The Guardian could not afford to be distracted, but if he had someone that could stand by him and not need protection, was that so bad? Perhaps that was why there was no law against Guardians marrying. Society's view on the matter had only warped it over the years because the chances of it happening were next to impossible. And yet, he wondered still.

He could not hear all her words, but he gathered enough from her actions to know what she was doing. He knew this was probably the best course of action, and resolved to tell her so when she came in. Hard on the heels of that thought, he caught movement from the other side of the square. His eyes widened when he realized it was Caius.

He watched the Guardian watch the woman with hard eyes. This did not bode well, though he was glad to see the man did not approach her. Ingens silently slipped from the doorway into the shadows next to the building so he could better observe them both. He did not want the Emissary to see him when she went up.

He stayed there even after she had finally stood to go to the room that was hers for the week. He knew she would not notice the fact that he was not there. Not at first. She was too distracted. He took that opportunity to see what Caius would do.

When the Guardian walked into the square and retrieved the item Elle had dropped, Ingens' eyes narrowed. There was no mistaking the open anguish on the other man's face. Knowing the Emissary still cared was one thing, but seeing how the Guardian was here instead of by Yeul's side and knowing that it was not just the woman that held such strong feelings, that was another matter altogether.

As much as he hated the idea, perhaps it was time to do something about the situation before something terrible happened. He waited until the Guardian was gone before he slipped back into the building and up the stairs to take up his position in the outer room of the Emissary's chambers. While she was outside of the complex, he would have to stay with her. All the while, his mind was filled with what needed to come.

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Elle decided to not stay out late every night of the festival. She ended up going back to the compound after the second day. Despite her resolve to let things go, she still could not seem to find much joy in things.

It was as she woke up the following morning that she turned to see something on her pillow. She blinked a few times as she sat up and looked down in confusion. It took her tired brain a few moments to realize what it was.

She reached out tentatively to touch a large behemoth tooth strung through on a strip of leather. Her heart nearly stopped as she traced the familiar chips and notches. How? Surely Ingens would not have done this. He had been the one to instigate the space between Caius and her. He had even gone so far as to remind her that it was for the best.

She could not believe that the one person that knew how much the tooth meant had miraculously gotten it back to her. That was too much to ask. Still, she could not deny the relief she felt as she picked it up with shaking hands. She had felt naked without it. She slipped it back over her head and beneath her shirt before she placed a hand over where it lay on her chest, near her heart.

No matter how it had gotten back, she would not deny that she was glad of it. She closed her eyes against the pain that thought caused. Nothing was changed, of course, but she knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her heart would carry a flame for one man only.

She swallowed the anguish that thought caused as she pushed herself up to get ready for the day. No matter how she felt, life went on, and she could not ignore it. As she moved around the room, strangely enough, her pain was tempered somewhat by the feeling of the tooth against her skin.