Ian and Iris looked at each other a bit taken aback, that man knew about their marks and how they changed.
" The marks that we bare, what can you tell us about them?" Iris asked in a soft voice trying her best not scare Athan even more than he already was.
" They speak of your lineage my-.....Iris, your position and when you and Ian did the.....deed the symbol in the middle changed it's meaning as well to represent the union of the two of you.... you're now binded forever!" he explained proudly, happy that he could help them understand what was happening with them.
Ian looked intently at Athan, making sure that he was speaking the truth, not being able to find any signs of malicious intentions.
He turned to Iris with a charming smile, his eyes gleaming with happiness, he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand "My wife and my Queen I'm yours forever and you are mine if you wish to have me!?" he announced his intentions once again while looking into her eyes.
Iris gave him a sweet smile, tears pooling into her eyes, taking a deep breath, she touched his cheek gently rubbing it with her thumb You already know my answer is yes, my love!" her voice a little shaky, she couldn't get enough of hearing Ian speak about his love for her, it made her heart race about to jump out of chest every single time.
Athan cleared his throat, a little embarrassed at the couples show of affection and feeling a bit out of place.
Ian and Iris snapped out of their musing,Ian lifted Iris off the floor and sat her in his lap, placing a kiss on her forehead, he gently laid her head on his shoulder enjoying the little bit of closeness, even though for him that wasn't enough, it will have to do for now.
" How do we set you free from your burden?" Ian grumbled with a grouchy look on his face.
" Ummm....when she bound me to this cave, she used her blood marking me and the place that she bound me to, but only she knows how to unbind me!' he explained with a disappointed look, staring at his wrists.
Iris turned her head to look at Athan, her eyebrows furrowed, looking down at the ground in front of her deep in thought, trying to remember something, anything related to what Athan spoke about. Her memories were jumbled, a complete mess, nothing made sense, just small pieces of information, nothing was complete .
" I-I don't know, I don't remember how to free you Athan, something is wrong, my memories are broken, I don't remember much, I remember what I am, the curse, Bastos and up until now I thought that I was the last of my kind." she finished with a heavy sigh, uneasy about the situation seeing thet he was relying on her to free him.
Athan fell silent for a moment, rubbing his chin, his eyebrows knitted, looking at Iris intently.
" Oh, ummm....well, I don't know for certain but I think one of the reasons your memories are a bit hazy, is because of the amount of times you have come back to this realm, every time you come back a piece of your soul is taken by the guardian of the Hollow!"he put forth his thoughts on the matter a little worried that if that happened he will have to live in this damn cave for an eternity.That's not good he thought to himself.
Ian was a bit taken aback at the mention of the Hollow, his expression hardened and his body froze, he immediately thought that it doesn't sound like a nice place to go.
Iris on the other hand, stayed there quiet taking all the information and the same time trying her best to remember how to release Athan. Something so simple and yet so difficult just because she couldn't remember.
" Is there any other way I could regain my memories? " Iris finally asked in a small voice still looking at the ground in front of her.
" Bastos might be of some help but you'll have to call him back and merge with him!" Athan hummed in a daze lost on his own thoughts of how things are turning out for him.
" I will call him back to me then and see if that works?! How do I do that? He only comes to me when I'm badly injured!" she beamed in a cheerful voice, hoping that it will help her sort out her memories.
Athan finally looked from the ground wearing weary smile, taking a deep breath " No, you mustn't do that, they will find you and that will be the end of us, if you two merge and you die there is no way of telling when the guardian will let you return into this realm!" he spoke in a worried voice, his hands gesturing in front of him to make his point.
Hearing Athan speak about the people that hurt Iris in the past and he seemed to know about them and who they were, his ears perked up and finally decided to join the conversation so he could find out what exactly do they want.
" Who are they and what do they want?" he finally asked with an serious voice, ready rush out of the cave and end everyone and anyone who would dare to touch his beloved.