'Be calm, my love, be calm,' he bid Fara softly as they raced full speed toward the drop. He could scent her fear and it was as sweet and honeyed to his nose as it has always been.

To her, his words would sound like a blessing to his Varveh.  Though perhaps then, at that moment, it no longer mattered. It no longer mattered what she suspected or knew regarding his heart.  Whether he had indeed fallen for some trick of hers to capture it mattered not — for she had captured it. He had surrendered it. It was hers, enslaved.   

All he would do now would demonstrate it. Rebellion against his Visier and his realm would see him condemned and yet it mattered not.  All that mattered was the promises he had made to her.

Nux leapt over the verge and pulled them upward, and Fara cried out softly against his chest, small white-tipped fingers clinging tight to the saddle grip. The wind battered against them as he turned Nux northwards toward the Novus forest and great mountain peaks of Rohnal beyond. The thick cloud of Novus rain which hung above the forest was visible even from this distance.

They rode on toward it, on the push and pull of the wind which lifted and dropped them and lifted them again. Finally, Fara found the courage in her to pull her head out from the crook of his arm, turning to sit straight on the saddle observe what spread out before her.

Due east he could see the stone figure of Leoth kneeling defeated before the court of the moon. He saw Fara catch sight of it too, her head turned toward it long after it moved behind them.

'The trees ahead,' he said against the hood of her cloak close to her ear. 'That is The Novus forest.'

She turned her head towards his. 'This is where you are taking me?'

'No, but we shall ride through it in a moment. Its rain is like no other. Sweet like wine and hot as Teredia's Glissian pool.'

The rain hit them some moments later, not seen but felt, hot and sweetly scented on his lips. He tasted it with his tongue. Just then, Fara turned her face upward, blinking as she opened her mouth to taste it too. It caused her to smile and he felt the warm bloom of contentment rise up into his chest.

The white forest passed beneath them before Theodan rose to stand, pulling on Nux's rein to force her higher and guide them over the highest of the trees. Someway north of the highest peak was the Balck Rock - where Elyon and the Twins of Aphelion would be at this moment. Cresting the mountain, the meadow soon came in to view, ringed in Zenobia flower of every colour, tall grass leached white.

He whispered the command for Nux to land, pulling twice on the rein to affirm the order. Her great wings turned out and she tilted them against the wind, slowing them before she began her eager descent onto the meadow.

They'd had softer landings. Fara was thrown back against him so hard that he worried he'd injured her.

'You are not hurt?' He asked, casting his eye over her. 

Her hood had blown back and the green ribbon she'd tied her hair with had come loose, curling now against her flushed cheek.

'No,' she shook her head, half breathless.  The excitement in her eyes was bright gold and she gazed around the meadow curiously as he loosened the strap which held them together and slid down from the saddle.

The meadow was quiet but for the dull hiss of the ocean at the southernmost point, and the soft song of the rainfall from the inside forest. He unfastened the belts which held her in place and reached up his arms to her. With a soft look, she placed her hands over his forearms and let him lift her out of the saddle to the ground. The rain had dampened her cloak but the heat of it lingered.

'You fly with more ease,' he noted.  'You did not grip me so hard as you once did.' The playful smile she gave him caused his chest to swell.

'At first, it feels as though you might die. But then... it is glorious.' Her joy at the revelation was infectious and he found himself smile. She turned to Nux and smoothed the flat of her hand along the coat of her crest. 'You are most magnificent...' she whispered to the Varveh. 'Thank you...' To his surprise, Nux made a soft noise and butted Fara's palm in reply. 

When Fara turned to look at him her smile was tender almost. 'You ride her most skilfully.'

An unfamiliar blush crept to his cheeks. He looked at his Varveh. 'She carries most of the burden.'

'So then all Leoth ride as well as you do?' She sounded doubtful.

'We are taught the skill by our fathers before we are full-grown. I was fortunate my father's skill in Varveh was unmatched.' Yet his skill could not save him from the will of the Gods.

'Then he taught you well,' she said, watching him closely.

An image of his father, chasing him through the skies surrounding Teredia, skimming the treetops, cresting the waves, looping past him but always pulling back to allow Theodan to reach the finish first.  Always chase the wind, Theo.  Always keep the sun beside you, always...

He swallowed and lowered his eyes.  'My father taught me many lessons. Not all of which have served me well.' He thought of Vala then, and let the dull flicker of guilt burn bright a moment.

He felt Fara watch him closely.  'I heard you,' she said suddenly.  

He glanced at her, confused.

'You and Mor.  In the kitchen. When you told her you would send Iaria from Teredia.' There was a pause before she turned her head, focussing on Nux once more. Long practised strokes. Her mane. Her nuzzle. Tenderness. A yearning rose up inside him. 'I did not know why you would speak my tongue ... But now I think that perhaps Mor wanted me to hear. Though I do not understand why.' She flicked her eyes to his, her look as piercing as a blade.

Then Mor had known Fara listened. Knew that Theodan had not. Known too that he would not hesitate in choosing Fara over Iaria. Mor. As shamelessly interfering as Elyon.

'Mor has always done things which elude sense and cause,' he said, careful.

There was a glimmer of disappointment in Fara's eyes he thought.  'She cares greatly for you,' she said.

'She has been more than a mother to me.'

He did not care for the note of pity that dimmed her expression then and so turned from her, gazing up and across the wide stretch of blue sky above. They did not have long.

'Why did you bring me here?' She asked him after a long moment. 'What is this place?'

'It is called: Avalia ni Palateia. Meadow of the Sun.'

'Avalia ni palateia...' she repeated.

As always, the sound of her voice speaking his tongue caught his breath. Brought his mind to beautiful, impossible places. She does not belong here. You promised her you would see her returned home.

'It's beautiful, peaceful.' She gazed around it, her eyes lingering on the small thicket over his shoulder. 'What is beyond those trees?'

'Somewhere I would like you to see. Come.'

She followed behind him as he began toward the covered grove. When they were halfway between it and where Nux stood grazing, he threw a look over his shoulder to see her some way behind.  The weight of the cloak slowed her, though the soft determined sounds as she pulled it through the thick feathery grass made him smile.

'I can carry you if you'd like,' he called. 'There is still some way to go.'

She stopped, breathing hard, and swiped a hand over her forehead. 'I am quite able to walk.' 

'Very well. Then mayhaps you should remove it?' The cloak suited her as well as he knew it would. The colour the same deep red hue as her lips, the pelage matched to the bronze of her skin, the gold threading the same shade as her eyes. The Ghila had met the task well and Theodan had rewarded him generously for it.

Though seeing her wear it now, here, surrounded by the white grass of Avalia ni Palateia with her cheeks flushed, he felt he may have cheated The Ghila somewhat. 

At first, she seemed reluctant to heed his suggestion, but quickly saw the reason in it and moved to loosen it. When her small soft hands struggled once more with the cord he moved to assist her again. Delicate, pink flesh and small rounded nails entwined with his own claw-tipped weapons of marble white. He marvelled at the contrast before his eyes caught the damp sheen which clung covetous to the rise of her breasts, just visible at the neckline of her gown. His tongue ached with want. It was the same gown she wore in his dreams. The same dream he'd been gifted each night for four moons.

A fragrant forest. The taste of her pleasure on his mouth. Her body opening ripe and ready beneath him in the grass. His teeth sinking deep into the giving flesh of her throat before the savage, almost violent breeding as the rain fell around them. He had awoken at the same moment each time - as her blood dripped from his tongue he lifted his head to find it was not Fara who lay before him, but the Goddess Azura.

His teeth urgent and his mouth dry, he lifted the cloak from her shoulders and slid it through the loop of his sword belt.

'It is not much farther,' he told her.

They walked on in silence until they reached the small gap in the bracket of trees, wide enough perhaps for two leoth side by side.  She followed him obediently through the trees into the small grove and then he heard her gasp aloud. When he glanced at her he found her eyes filled with wonder and her mouth parted at the sight which lay before her.

It was not the glory it had once been. Draping greenery crawled from the peaked roof and down around the stone columns on either side of the doorway, the stairs dusted with a soft rug of dampened moss. It was not as intricately made as the temples or shrines of Azura — no structure in Leoth compared with any of the wonders he had found in Azura — but there was undeniable power in this small structure. The weight of aeons infused in the stone. The trees of the small grove shielded it from most of the rain and wind, their branches lowered protectively around its ancient stone walls.

Transfixed, Fara began to move toward it, moving as though unthinking, as though pulled towards it by an invisible force from within. When they reached the stairs she paused, looking around at him, seeking something. Permission or reassurance he decided.

'You may enter. No monster lurks within, I promise.' He smiled, soft.

She took the stairs tentatively and he followed close behind her, under the arched doorway and inside. The air was warmer within. Caused in part by the great domed ceiling open to the sun. Designed so that sunlight could spill directly upon the statue of the Goddess which stood in the centre of the circular space. The statue of the Goddess herself was crude, a rough stone figure indiscernible but for the sun crown she wore upon her head, and of course, her name - in Leothin - chiselled into the base of the effigy.

Arayis.

Light. Life. Leoth's greatest gift had been named for her. For she had been His greatest gift. 

Fara reached out and ran her fingers across the lettering of the Goddess's name, tremulous. Then turned to him.

'Mageia ni Calotai,' he said gently.  'The Temple of the Goddess.'

'The Goddess....' She looked back at the carved stone.  'Azura?'

'Is there any other?'

'I do not understand...'

'It was built in her honour. Many aeons ago.'

'By... Him?' Her voice was a bare whisper, as though frightened he might come forth from the dark to collect her.

'Yes.'

He could see the fear in her eyes, dark and shadowy. She drew her hand back from the statue and gazed anew around the temple. 'Then this was a trophy to celebrate his sin?'

'It was a place of worship. A temple carved from grief. From love.'

'What he did to his sister was no kind of love, Theodan.' Her voice was hard now, stronger.

He met her glare directly and took a deep breath. 'What if the story you have long been told was a lie, Fara? What if the truth was hidden. By those who sought to create their own?'

She looked confused, frightened. 'What are you saying?'

'What if the war for the four realms was not fought in retribution against darkness and sin, but for a great and abiding love?'

'No... no... it was not.' She shook her head, glancing at the effigy of the Goddess and back to him again, a plea in her eyes.  'He despoiled her.... she was his sister and he... no... it cannot be, such a thing is unnatural.'

'The Gods did not consider such thing a sin, Fara.'

She froze, eyes wide with fright.  It did not matter that he spoke softly for they were the wrong words. Her face twisted in horror as she began to clutch and squeeze desperately at her wrists. He moved toward her, gentle and slow.

'Fara, listen to me, the truth you have long been told was a creation by Leoth's enemies. Enemies who sought to destroy Leoth, and Azura in turn — for together their power was unmatched. That is the truth, Fara.  Azura loved Leoth. And in turn, Leoth worshipped Azura,' he gestured at the statue of the Sun Goddess, exalted in her femininity.

Fara paled, clutching still at the invisible binds which held her wrists. Without warning she brought her hand to her mouth and turned, fleeing to the doorway of the temple and down the steps.  He followed, watching as she dropped to her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach into the grass, small fists clutching handfuls of the pale white. He went to her side and sank down next to her, watching helplessly as her small body trembled violently with the heaves.

Reaching into his belt he pulled free the flask of sweetwine and handed it to her, placing a comforting hand on the back of her neck as he did. She trembled as she took it from him, as she drank deeply of it and wiped her hand across her mouth. As she handed the flask back to him, she trembled still. Her breaths laboured and deep, her eyes burning argent gold. 

'Fara, forgive me. I did not mean to....' Gods what had he meant to do? Convince her of Leoth and Azura's love? Convince her of his own?

'You expect me to believe a thing simply because you say it is so, Theodan?' She asked him, incredulity high in her voice. 'You expect me to believe that this vile sin is now some great love? That what has been the truth for a thousand years is now a lie?' She almost laughed.

'No, I suppose I do not,' he shook his head but fixed her with a hard stare. 'But tell me this, Fara. Is Leoth the realm you were long told it was? Are we the flesh-eating, blood-hungry beasts of Ethis you were taught to fear as small children? Or has this too been a lie perpetuated by our enemies?'

He saw her expression waver. 'You... you have done nothing to convince Ethis otherwise. You aided the destruction of a peaceful realm. I watched you execute and maim... for no reason other than your dark God bid you.'

'The same command that bid me protect you.'

'You do not know that I was the treasure of which He spoke - you have merely chosen to justify all you have done by proclaiming such,' she fired.  'I think you desired a meek and obedient spoil and I was simply there upon the sand before you.'

'The Gods know you have never been any use to me as a spoil, Fara,' he flared, impatient now.

She did not look insulted, only vindicated. 'Then it was blind obedience that made you claim me?'   

'That is not why I claimed you...' Rage and need for her clawed at him. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to go to her and kiss her and show her why he had claimed her. He wanted to claim her here and now, once and for all.

'Your god lives within you. That is what you told me, is it not?  That he had no need for temples or prayers,' she glanced at the Goddess' shrine behind him. 'No need for worship or idolatry - so then perhaps it is that your mind is not even you own? Perhaps he commands all th -'

'I claimed you because you are mine!' he roared.  'I would not have cared had he commanded I leave you in the dirt for the Zybarians, Fara  - for still I would have taken you. Because you are mine. You have always been mine.' 

Do you not see? Do you not feel? Do you not know as I know? As though you have always known? You are mine.

She blinked as though he had struck her. He saw words rise and fall on her tongue, saw her eyes blaze like wildfire. When she spoke her voice was soft and her eyes shining like polished glass.

'Then you too think me a possession for you to own? Like your Varveh or your sword or your palaces?' What? His palaces? She moved away from him.

'No, Fara, wait.' He reached out, clutching at the length of the gown which trailed behind her.  'I do not see you as such...the Gods know I do not see you as such.' Why could he not find the right words, now when he needed them so fiercely.  She stopped and turned, her eyes pleading with him again. What words should he tell her now? What useless words could he hurt her with now? 'Do not you feel the truth of what I say? Here, in this place?' he beseeched her.

The look in her eyes made him feel only defeat.

'Was it your will or your God's to enslave Azura's women and children?' She asked him.

He looked away from her eyes, his throat growing thick with guilt, hope fading like dying light. Every word she spoke was a cut, deep and sure across his flesh.

'I saved as many as I could...' he said quietly, too quietly for her to hear.

'Was it your will or your God's who commanded you tear down Azura's temples and murder her priestesses?'

He closed his eyes and lowered his shoulders. 'We murdered no priestesses. Any women we took as spoils were treated with clemency,' he reasoned. It wasn't enough. As the words left his mouth he knew they were not enough. Had he really thought she'd forgotten his sins?  That she saw him as anything but destruction? She'd not spoken of the sins he had committed upon her alone - and he knew then that she would not - but he felt the shame of each one all the same.

'Why did you bring me here, Theodan? You really thought this place would be a comfort to me? Would please me?' Her words were not angry, nor her voice hard. They were painfully soft.

'I thought if I could show you... that it would comfort you to know that Ethis's greatest war was fought for love, not sin,' he explained. He sounded like a fool. It had been a foolish thought. He had made a great mistake.

Though perhaps he could yet fix it... yet give her some comfort. He glanced above them.   

Tears slipped from her eyes as she considered his words. 'They are much the same to me. For I have yet to know of a love without sin, and my sins are already greater than you will ever know,' she whispered. 'The Gods will see me judged for them in time.'

He wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms and take from her the pain which flowed from her. But there was no time left. They were no longer alone. 

Fara did not see the figures move out from the cover of the trees. Did not realise they were no longer alone in the Goddess's grove. One figure moved slower than the rest, a weakness now that he had not possessed when Theodan had last seen him. The Balck Rock could weaken a Leoth full-grown, much less a human male.

Elyon led in front, the Twins of Aphelion flanking their prisoner on either side as they came toward them. When they saw Theodan the three Leoth halted, lifted their heads, and brought their fists silently to their chests. 

'Please, may we leave this place now?' She asked quietly.

'Whatever you wish, princess,' he nodded. 'However, you may wish to stay a little time longer.' 

She frowned, confused, before finally following his eyes over her shoulder. 

She let out a soft cry at the sight. 'Panos...'

'Sister...?' The prince blinked once, then again, before collapsing to his knees in the grass.