"Memories define who we are, forgetting them is the same as losing yourself."
~Tasmiya Shaik
Reinhardt Villa
Saturday
20:36
Sebastian's patience was being tested by the second, and he began to question his expert ability at 'flicking off pests.' In his presence, the guest arrived with troubles that only brew the beginnings of the growing sphere of rage within him.
'Mr. Foster, as I have said before, Avery Reinhardt is not for negotiation.'
'Need I remind you, Mr.Reinhardt, that it was 'The Order' who granted refuge and sanctuary to your ancestors. I believe an agreement was signed in blood that the Aldari clans would be obliged to serve. I believe you ought to honor that agreement just as your brother did, no?'
'I am inclined to sever that agreement. We have long paid our debt; what more do you seek?' Sebastian demanded.
'What do we seek? That is the allegiance of the Aldari clans, as we always have.'
In the way of respect, Sebastian had often allowed his guests to be seated while he stood; however, in this case, it was his way of looking down on The Order from his superior standing.
~Lahn, do not be rash in your decisions.~
Sebastian moved on his heels and regarded Isaac's presence with Avery at his side.
~Do not lecture me, Araun.~ The beast within Sebastian retorted.
~Do not endanger her Lahn.~
'I will go,' Avery severed the tension.
'That is not an option,' Sebastian argued.
'It is only fair,' She appeared at his side, 'I will not be a burden. Why should I be given a choice when the others were not?'
'You are the fate of us, Avery. I don't expect you to make rational decisions but-'
'You haven't been expecting anything of me from the very beginning!' The surge of emotions that built up within Avery was finally expressed in anger.
Sebastian halted his advance of words, astonished by Avery's resolve and dominant will, and suddenly, the resemblance of his brother was well displayed in her outbreak. No doubt, she was the young beauty of her mother's features, but her hair, much like his brothers, was a mirage of wildfire and almost as dark as blood.
'Ah, a young one who speaks her mind,' Foster smirked, 'Just like her mother, sadly she is not here.'
Sebastian growled and stepped forward, but Avery seized his hand.
'Stay within the line, Mr.Foster,' Isaac warned. 'You may outnumber us, but incompetence is non-existent within the Aldari Clans.'
The silver of Sebastian's eyes illuminated with an aqua blue, and his hands were ice to the touch.
'I will serve,' Avery announced.
Sebastian's attention drifted to Lahn's earlier spoken words; Let the enchantress decide. It would seem that his rage overpowered both him and his companion's sensibility.
'Wise decision, Miss Reinhardt,' Foster rose. ' We will expect your arrival in our organisation in the midst of spring. I shall then take my leave.'
'I will escort you,' Isaac offered.
'No need, I can find my way.'
'I offer to ensure that you do, Mr Foster.'
Mr.Foster sighed and heeded the offer but halted briefly as he passed by Avery.
'Such a pity,' He smirked, 'Your eye that is,' He resumed his leave.
Avery tucked the hair that concealed her left eye behind her ear, and the bandage fell loose. Blood. The abominable substance stained her hands once again. It was not the fear of blood that stunned her, but the memories it had to offer. Her parents. Their blood had filled her hands with warmth, and when it had turned cold, it was then she had known that she'd lost them.
~Easy Avery.~
A feminine voice resonated within her.
Sebastian's attention focused on Avery, and fury incited him when he had sighted blood.
~Calm yourself; you are hurting her. She is the heart of the Warcan tribes; what is felt by yourself is what flows through her.~ Lahn warned him.
Sebastian cursed himself. How much more of a bastard could he have been? He was hurting Avery, yet again. He inhaled a deep breath, and his heartbeat assumed a relaxed rhythm. He crouched beside her and withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket. He gently pressed it to her left eye, and she winced.
'I am truly sorry,' Sebastian apologized, but Avery disapproved by shaking her head.
'I am not the one who is hurting,' She smiled, and it was the first time he had witnessed it. She indeed was Atticus' daughter; her smile was heart welcoming like her father's. She was determined and strong in her decisions despite her young age; however, in the Asharra clans, age was considered irrelevant to a person's ability and talents.
'Signor!' Andreas arrived with Miss Lorraine.
'Andreas, get the medical kit,' He ordered, and Lorraine settled at Avery's side. She carefully dabbed the eye wound and treated it.
'Miss Avery, does it hurt?'
Avery disagreed with a gesture of her head. She was hardly accustomed to physical pain, but somehow it didn't seem to bother her. Hurt? Of course, she'd been hurt. She felt pure rage course through her veins, and it threatened to dominate her will. Witnessing her parent's death was not an easy memory to bear. The last smile of her father as he departed from her remained etched within her heart, and it taunted her every idle moment of her existence. What did she have left?
~Lahn's Aldari, stubborn much like him but affectionate, no doubt.~
The inner voice surfaced again.
~You are not alone.~
She had Sebastian. He assumed the title of her Guardian, but she began to wonder if she was just another burden. It was not just his anger that she felt but his agony as well. His heart longed for its empty hollowness to be filled. It was missing a dear fragment that even he had not been aware of.
Avery grabbed Sebastian's hand, but her gaze rested low. 'You miss her,' She told him, but Sebastian was interrupted by Andreas' return.
Miss Lorraine tended to Avery's wound and replaced the drenched bandage.
Guilt. Impregnable chains of doubt and guilt had Sebastian bound. He could not withstand it's cruelty and hastily departed for his study. Did he miss her? Is that what had been clawing at his chest? Longing? For 'her'?
~You loved her.~
'Quiet Lahn,' Sebastian ordered.
~Denial is not a trait that suits you.~
'And what would you know?'
~I know enough to say that I can deem you wrong.~
'An arbitrator now? Fancy that, Lahn.'
~You are testing my patience.~
'I was not aware that you were in possession of any at all.'
~You are foolish. You have no control over the power you have.~
'You never cared to demonstrate control,' Sebastian answered in vain.
~The link is strong. You could have killed her.~
Lahn was correct yet again, but Sebastian would much rather be at the mercy of death's scythe than admit he agreed with the warcan beast. Atticus often warned him of concealing his emotions, but his brother had not understood that his stoic nature was a barrier, a shield to protect him against the cruelty of bearing the pain of loss.
~You are afraid. You always have been.~
Sebastian removed his suit jacket and folded the right sleeve of his formal shirt mid-arm. He flexed out his hand until a black tattoo that spanned the length of his arm appeared. It ignited with a soft blue glow, and an ethereal form of a creature emerged. Much larger than Sebastian himself, it circled him on four limbs and emitted a growl. Its thick hide was a snow-white colour with stripes of black that defined him as the beast he was.
~I do not wander far off. You have your thoughts to yourself; think on them wisely.~
Sebastian regarded the creature and nodded upon its unnatural leave through the closed door and afforded his attention to the scenery outside the window. The flowers that once blossomed in the open field below were far long withered, only but a distant memory of their blessed presence remained. Ethuaria was a land reaped of its resources, monopolised by the humes who did not equally return what they received. However, under 'her' guidance and magic, the land around the Villa had once flourished with greenery. Such days were now past and forgotten. The ground now grieved the loss of its caretaker, and he believed he could not find a single streak of kindness within his heart to answer to its call.
She had pursued his path alongside him and forsaken her clan titles to fight with him. Had he given her what she deserved? Was he a man worthy of her love? What did love mean at all? He was never a man who grasped the fundamentals of such a feeling. How did one portray something they were not trained with? He could not wield it as well as he did a sword. Had he indeed given her happiness? His heart would never discern for sure, and such adamant thoughts were chained in memory when a sudden knock followed on the door.