Valen should have shocked to find that Rei and the Dark Lord had been lovers but he knew enough of the creature that was Dimitre Knight that he was not surprised. Valen had never understood how women could be thralled under powerful men who were so obviously narcissistic and uncaring... until he had met the god. So easily could he twist his words and change his demeanor that he could have enthralled even the High Goddess herself (and so Valen had heard that it was a legendary conquest of the god's!).

"Rei..." he said and thought to reach out to her. But, he pulled his hand away as if he had thought to touch a kindling. Her bonded knew what it meant to love and not have his feelings returned or that the love just could never be. He knew how it felt to sit and wait for that person so you could feel them in your arms if only for a moment. Valen still dreamed of Tari when he closed his eyes. He saw her in every crowd and sometimes his dreams were so vivid it was as if she were there with him.

"We don't choose who we love, bonded," he said gently. She turned and he followed her, staying by her side. "We can choose to give ourselves to a person or to pull away but we can't choose who we love or the circumstances they find themselves in." The affair had obviously happened while Dimitre was wed to Eilanna's stepmother Skylania and from what the lycanthrope had heard, it didn't seem as if Dimitre would leave his wife for anyone. "But if you are tired, beloved, I understand. I am sorry for bringing up such painful memories- truly I am. I will remember to exercise more caution next time."

Valen opened the door for her and they were, once more, surrounded by the warmth and calming comfort of her home. It was dark and deliciously quiet. He wondered how often Rei's mate came and held her or loved her to keep the demons from consuming her whole. Valen knew how it felt to be so close and yet so far from the one he loved. Of course, now he was alone and alone with his thoughts. He did not know how to help his Bonded and it saddened him.

"If there is anything I can do, beloved, just tell me. I know loss and I know heartache as keenly as any other."

When she had turned, he followed her- not something she had expected. Valen seemed to hold some sympathy for her in the situation of unrequited love and of loss, but she doubted such feelings extended towards the situation of her child. Not that she could blame him- because who wouldn’t look down on someone who sold their child to such a dark man?- but deep down, she still wished and hoped that he wouldn’t.

He didn’t leave her and still continued to talk, though she could hardly say she was listening. Rei’s mind felt foggy, though she could still sense the regret seeping from him. Whether it was regret of having upset her, regret of knowing what he knew now, or a mixture of both, she could not discern. The bond didn’t grant the two the ability to read the emotional state that deeply- only in a general sense. The Avatar continued down the hall, not having said anything in response to him still, and paused at the altar room. She took a moment to glance to the portrait of her father. Anyone that could see her face could tell what she was thinking- what would he think of her now? But suddenly she started up again, just as silent.

As the neared Valen’s living quarters- she could still sense the rhythmic breathing and heartbeat of his daughter- she took pause again. Rei finally turned to him and spoke, though she doubted her would feel as if she had responded to him at all. “Take rest with your daughter. I will see the both of you in the morning. It is likely I will be making breakfast for everyone.” The Avatar was not angry at her bonded. She had no right to be. He had every right to judge her as anyone else did. At the moment she was burdened with thoughts and wished to be alone with them. She let her hand rest on his shoulder momentarily before dropping it and walking off down the hallway.

The door to her quarters hardly made a noise as she opened it. A lantern stood on her nightstand, lit and flickering, casting shapes against the wall. Stripped of her clothes and clothed with one of her cotton nightdresses, she slipped into her bed. But she did not sleep. After a hour or so of mulling, she finally resigned to pouring herself a glass of wine. Rei’s mind wandered from her mother, to Luthene, to Sadrach, to her friends and followers- wondering what they would think of her if they knew the story of her daughter. When the glass had been refilled and emptied four or five times, she finally set it down, blew out the lantern and resigned to sleep.

Rei seemed to shut herself away from him the moment he spoke and so he remained quiet, walking at her side but letting her set their pace. He had not meant to judge her for he had done terrible things in his life. Some because of his wolf and others by his own lack of judgment. But for every good person such as Rei, they all held terrible secrets. That was why, deep down, he could not see anyone as simply good. Everyone made mistakes and some were not so easily dismissed.

With a nod, he left her to his room to his daughter. She was curled up with one of the smaller pillows that he normally used. It smelled like him and being that his daughter was wolf, that was what comforted her. He was quiet as he entered and shut the door. His thoughts on Rei were there but were soothed as he watched the sleeping child on the bed. Could he have ever promised his daughter to a dark god to find and see Nicholas?

No, he could not. As much as he dreamed and hoped that eventually he could see Nicholas, Brynn meant far too much to him to have ever done that. The moment he had found out about Rhylana's pregnancy, he had imagined a life with his daughter and finally being a father.

He pulled off his nice clothes, leaving him in just his pants and under shirt and climbed into bed. Brynn's eyes opened and she curled against him as he laid down. Her eyes did not close in sleep, however, but looked up at him. She wondered where he had gone, as she probably used to every night. He shushed her as she began to whine and she buried her face into his chest, her little hands grasping his shirt.

"Good night, sweetie," he whispered to her as he closed his own eyes, drifting into uneasy sleep.

Rei looked up at the sound of footsteps, sensing Valen near, but she did not pause. She had already begun fixing plates of food for Larren and Rowan. Larren’s came first, him being the eldest of the two. He also was particularly finicky about his food. Thus, she was very selective about what she put on his plate. There were no fruits, mostly meats and some eggs and bread. There was a pitcher of fresh juice on the table- it was chilled very well for the time of day- and she picked it up and poured him a glass of it to drink. Next came Rowan’s who was far less picky. Her plate was allowed fresh slices of fruits and much less meat. The small girl received a matching glass of juice.

“I slept well thank you,” she said finally, knowing it was a lie and knowing he would know. However, Rei never showed her troubled around the children. After the type of life they endured, the pair deserved a life free of such troublesome things hanging about them like dark clouds. “Did you sleep well? And Brynn?” There was a small lowered crib in the corner of the dining area and she set Brynn there, giving her a wooden rattle.

The Avatar reached for Brynn, setting her in a seat next to an empty one where Valen would sit. First she attended to the child, not knowing her favorites just yet. Instead, she put a bit of everything on her plate and filled her a glass of juice before starting on her father’s plate. Valen’s plate held not a shred of fruit and was piled high with meats and was littered with only a small corner of eggs. She sat it before him and filled his glass. Smiling, she quickly fixed her own plate and sat, taking small bites and sipping at the juice.

“After breakfast, one of my clergy will read the children stories and play with them. They’ve grown quite fond of their time with the young ones. You and I have somewhere to go.” They would journey to Talistari, the once great city that now stood in ruins by the hands of Dieloch and Dimitre. Rei frowned at the thought of it but quickly brightened. Before the children, she was never sad or unhappy. News has spread to her that there was those there who had survived that day and were trying to rebuild things. It was likely they wouldn’t be left alone for long.

When all was finished, the soft voice of a young woman- no more than the age of seventeen or so- came through the door of the dining room. Rowan jumped up enthusiastically, bounding off to take the girl’s hand, while Larren rose far less excitedly. “Valen,” she said, nodding towards Brynn who was most likely reluctant to go and be away from her father and furthermore the strangers she was not yet used to. Prepare yourself with armor and weapons. I will meet you outside of my chambers.

With a soft smile towards the young girl, she stood up and grabbed her smallest child, walking off towards her quarters. One of the older women of the clergy would care for the baby while she was away.

Valen gave her a gentle smile, knowing that he would ask her later about it. like him, she didn't want to trouble the children nor show weakness that could scare them. As an alpha wolf, Valen liked to believe his pack and those around him were confident in him rather than worrying about his well being. So, he sat beside his daughter, looking down at her pleasant grin with a smile and thanked Rei for having made breakfast.

For Valen, any food he ate either came from a tavern or a was roasted on a spit. Rhy had occasionally made him meals but his fury towards her had not been abated in the years and he had stayed with her as little as possible.

"As well as could be expected, Rei," he said. "Brynn slept like a rock of course." He hugged his daughter around the shoulders as she too a piece of ham into her fingers and put it into her mouth. Her appetite was much similar to her father's, as she was a born predator, though she did have a bit of a sweet tooth. Mostly she ate the meat and eggs from her plate, a little of the toast and most of her fruit.

"Really? Somewhere to go?" Brynn stopped eating and looked from Valen to Rei. She understood what they were saying and the worry on her face was clear. She had spent her young life so far watching her father come and go, trying to make a living for himself and though he had promised her things had changed, she had only seen such for a few days. But he nodded, resolved to speak to Brynn before he left and pushed his now empty plate aside. He and Rei had plans for the day, it seemed, and Brynn would have to bide her time with the other children.

He watched Rei's two adopted children leave the table, the disturbed boy reluctantly and lastly, before he turned to Brynn. "Me and Lady Rei have to go do something today but we will be back later, honey, I promise. Go and play with Rowan and Larren and we will be back before you know it." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Go have fun. Daddy has some business to attend to." Hesitantly, the girl stood up and walked after the young clergy woman with Larren and Rowan and she only gave him one glance before she left with them.

Then Valen got up and quickly went to his room, putting on his jerkin and leather leggings. His belt came next, filled with vials and pouches and a single dagger strapped at his hip. Lastly, he pulled his sword belt over his shoulder so it was belt across his back, making it easy to draw it with his sword hand. Grabbing his gloves and tucking them into his belt, he left his room. There was little else a vagabond such as he needed.

He met her where she told him, standing there quietly against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Rei would feed him details when she felt it necessary.

Rei opened the door, her warring robes on. In her hand she clutched a staff of sun-bleached wood with a glimmering sapphire. The staff seemed mundane enough for all intents and purpose, but it wasn’t. The wood was made of a branch from the World Tree. Runes lit up when she channeled through it. The Avatar smiled briefly as she saw him lounging against the wall with his weapons on his belt. She also had a fair amount of blades draped around her waist. In a short amount of time, he wouldn’t be relaxing and standing there so nonchalantly.

The Avatar motioned for him to follow, her boots echoing softly on the marble floor. “We’re going to Talistari. I don’t know if you knew of the devastation it suffered at the hands of Dieloch, Yoru, and… Dimitre.” Discomfort seemed to bite at her at the name. “Some of my clergy were traveling that way. It seems some citizens are trying to rebuild and… I don’t foresee that going without consequences. Not from Dimitre, perhaps, as he was just using them for blood and that use is no longer needed, but the other two, well.”

Rei stopped as they reached the large training room that was vacant for the time being. “It has been a few days since I’ve last received reports on the city, so be prepared for the condition of it.” She raised her staff slowly, only a small amount off the ground. There was a gentle flash of light that engulfed them both and they vanished from the empty training room.

Valen had heard of the destruction at Talistari but he had never actually been there. The floating city had always been a popular one to include in the wondertales of his youth and so, he had to admit, that his wolf perked its ears at the mention of it.

"I heard about it, bonded, but I cannot say that I've actually ever been there," he replied. Of the names she mentioned that had caused the destruction, he recognized only one. Only since Sein Amar and Minya Amar had he learned of deities and even then, only few. His own mother still did not believe in the power of the gods. "And we are to... intercept them?" He said, beginning to feel apprehension. Valen could easily say he was more skilled than a town militia man but not much beyond that. He was a mercenary- he did not train his skills just to have skills, he had trained them to be able to make money.

Before he was able to respond though, his body was ripped from one location to the next.