Islande stood in the hallway, shards of rainbow glass sprinkled around her. She gazed out at where he had disappeared, the sky steadily growing more grey as the minutes ticked passed. He had been here. He had stood here, looked her in the eye. He had saved her.

The dress she wore suddenly seemed to be suffocating her, her breaths coming in short gasps.

Why did he come back?

"My Queen," said a voice, wrenching her from her thoughts.

She turned, seeing Tyros standing behind her,

"I was wrong to mistrust him," she said as Tyros came to stand at her side.

"He was right. The Shadowalker is back, and he wants blood."

She turned away from him, walking down the hallway, thinking, silently thinking. She had to make a decision that would protect her Kingdom and those around them. Finding Viseron seemed to be that answer.  He was the one that defeated him the first time, he was the one that protected him this time.

"We have to find Viseron," she said at last.

"Do you think he will trust anything you say after you chose not to heed his warning?" Asked Tyros.

"I don't know, but we have to try," she said, standing in the middle of the shattered shards of glass, "he is our only hope if we can even dream of defeating the Shadowalker."

Islande raised her hands, the air around her shimmering gold. Fragments of glass rose into the air around her sending fractals of rainbow light dancing across the wall. They both watched as the window fit itself back together like a puzzle, looking as pristine as the day it was first built.

"He defeated him once, he can do it again. He has to."

"He is no longer bound to this Kingdom, he doesn't have to get involved if he doesn't see a reason to."

"But he came back," she said, looking at the elf, "he came here to protect me, to protect this Kingdom. Somewhere inside him he still cares, or he would have let the Shadowalker destroy Crysinlor."

Tyros didn't say anything more, but she could tell by his quiet gaze that he still didn't approve of what she was thinking.

"I have to tell him I was wrong."

"Then go," said Tyros, "but return to me Nin Alor. Promise me."

"I promise," she said, taking his hand, squeezing it gently.

Tyros offered her a small smile and she saw the uncertainty surface in his eyes.

"I will be okay," she said.

"I know," he said, "but I will never stop worrying."

Islande smiled and turned away from the General, going to change out of her dress and into her armor. Her heart beat loud in her ears as she thought about the coming confrontation.

She wasn't sure if she could face him a second time, see the hurt in his eyes. Pain she had caused. Each piece of her armor she donned felt heavier and heavier, as if she were carrying the fate of the Kingdoms on her shoulders.

I might be. She thought as she exited her quarters.

Islande reached out to her Knights, telling them to meet her at the Gate. She retrieved Dawnfyre who had already been saddled and her glittering golden armor put on. The palomino mare nickered softly as Islande approached her, her dark, knowing eyes seeing her apprehension.

Islande stroked Dawnfyre's forehead gently before mounting her, turning her towards the Gate. Her Knights met her, forming up around her. She cast one last look at the castle, seeing the tiny form of Tyros watching her departure from the balcony.

Islande sent a silent prayer to Mäthar as she set out to find Viseron for the second time. The ride to the Drenzian was long and hard. They rode at almost full speed for most of the journey. She didn't know when the Shadowalker may return. No one did.

As they began to near the cursed the forest the temperature grew colder, frost-hardened grass crunching beneath their horses's hooves.

Bitter cold wind snapped at Islande's face, her breath steaming in front of her. Whispers nagged at the back of her mind, whispers of blood and shadows and cold.

She shuddered, a chill running down her spine. Islande wondered how Viseron had managed to live this way for so long.

Uncertainty spread through her Knights as their horses shied from the edge of the forest. Islande soothed Dawnfyre in Solais, the Language of Light. Dawnfyre slowly calmed, her ears swiveling back and forth as she listened for any signs of danger.

Islande took a deep breath, urging her horse forward into the Drenzian. Islande felt whispers tickle the back of her mind, a dark presence lurking in very back of her consciousness. Her Knights followed, wary of the Drenzian's presence.

It felt almost alive, like a breathing being bent on bloodshed.

Dawnfyre raised her head in alarm as a figure appeared in the dark. He was bathed half in light half in shadow, dark eyes watching her.

"Viseron-"

"Don't," he said, "don't tell me your sorry, don't comfort me."

Islande's heart ached as she saw the pain reflected in his eyes.

"I saw the man you once were," she said, "I saw a glimmer of him when you chose to come back."

"That man is dead, Islande," he growled, "he died when you broke my heart. When you stood there and let them exile me. When you chose not to fight for me."

His words stung but she knew they were true. Every word of it. She hadn't been strong enough to fight for her love that day and because of her weakness he had been trapped in a waking nightmare for twenty long years.

"Why did you betray me Islande? Why did you abandon me? Why did you leave me here to die?"

"I was afraid!" She said, looking up at him. "I was afraid." She repeated, softer.

"When I saw you kill those guards, saw the light in your eyes go out, I thought maybe Evarian was right. Maybe you had begun to succumb to the dark like the Shadowhunter had, and that terrified me. Now I see you were just as scared as I was. That you were confused, not sure why you were being accused of something you didn't do, why you were being attacked by those you protected, the Kingdoms you trusted."

Islande paused for a moment, silent tears glimmering in the slanting light.

"I realized too late that the thing I truly feared wasn't you, wasn't the dark. It was losing you to that darkness. Seeing you slip beyond my reach. That was what scared me the most because I love you."

The guilt she had kept contained for years washed over in waves, consuming her. She could barely bring herself to look at him, to see what she had made him.

"No matter how many times I apologize it will never fix the damage I have done, I know that. Nothing will ever fix that damage."

She finally brought herself to look at him, holding his gaze. His eyes weren't quite as cold, his gaze not quite as dark.

"I hope you know that no matter how much your Kingdom hurt you, no matter how much I hurt you, we need you. We need our Warrior back."

She watched his lips form a thin line as he thought, the raven cawing above her head.

"I will come with you," he said finally, "I will help you defeat the Shadowalker as long as I am not hunted like an animal after it is done."

Islande nodded, accepting his terms.

"I will ensure your terms are met."

Viseron nodded slightly as something came out of the tree line. Dawnfyre pinned her ears back and snorted as an undead horse appeared from the darkness. The creature fixed her with its milky white eyes, pawing the ground with one skeleton hoof.

She watched Viseron console the beast, whispering to it in a strange language she had never heard before. It seemed to calm the creature as he mounted it, turning to face her.

Islande ran a hand down Dawnfyre's neck, comforting the mare. Around her her Knights did the same to their horses as they shied away from the unnatural creature.

Islande led the way once Dawnfyre was ready, riding as fast as she dared. She looked over at the man riding beside her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her Viseron.

All she saw was the Shadowhunter.

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Hope ya'll enjoyed! A little backstory for ya'll! Make sure to leave feedback!

~~Nightfury107