h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[Wolf] it doesn't seem like there's been much rest for any of us recently

I've been away for a while, but it hasn't exactly been a vacation...

*Falls silent*

*wolf looks down at the floor*

[Wolf] I haven't asked you what happened to you, and I won't press you for details... if you want to tell me you can, but it's up to you...

*Remains somber, staring at her scarred hands.*

*wolf squeezes lumien to him*

He... hurt me. He tortured me. He hung me from hooks in my hands, /touched/ me, and kissed me.

*She stiffens*

Syian tried to stop him- pretended she was with him for a little while, but when he found out...

*Sobs*

Do you know what it was like hanging there, and not being able to do anything about what was being done to her? He was /forcing/ himself on her, and I had a snowballs chance in Poroda of stopping him! I can't let that happen again...

*Wolf continues to hold her tightly*

[Wolf] No, No I don't know exactly what that's like, but I do know what it's like to not be able to help a friend. I wish I could have helped you, but I... I wasn't able to... I felt so useless when he took you...

You did help- I remembered you, and it kept me going. I would have died or gone mad if I had never known you.

*Shifts a little in his arms.*

We eventually managed to escape, but he was close behind us at every turn. Yurick, Oane, it seemed like everywhere we went he was waiting for us. Shaylar and Elandra fought against him with us in Oane- Syian disappeared for a fair bit of it. I still don't know where he hid her...

That b@stard... bound me to him! Shaylar almost had to kill me to save me! *Shows the scars on her throat from the sword wound.* Not that I blame her- I much rather would have died than gone another moment in his service.

I had blacked out after that, don't remember how I got to Imardin. It must have been Elandra's doing, though... I remember her phoenix. Syian was here when I woke up, and she broke the blood bond between me and him- I don't know at what cost. She got it into her head that she should go off alone and fight him, and when they tried to stop her, she panicked! She was like a caged animal, and...

and...

she killed two guards.

*Hot tears fall onto Wolf's shoulder.*

*Wolf sighs*

[Wolf] Is that what that argument between you and shaylar was about, Syian killing two guards?

Most of it, yes...

Wolf, you've been on your own before! You know what it's like! What Syian did was wrong, but I can't say that if I was in her shoes I wouldn't have done the same thing!

[Wolf] You really think you'd have murdered two innocent men?

Not ordinarily, no.

But if I felt like they were attacking me, then gods know how it would all go. I probably would have stopped short of murder, but I'm not really sure.

*Takes a deep breath.*

If you don't want to be with me anymore, now would be the best time to say so...

[Wolf] You do say some stupid things sometimes

*wolf hugs lumien to him, holding her tight*

[Wolf] You realise of course that Syian will need to stand trial, and they may not be very lenient with her

*Wraps her arms around him, not wanting to let go.*

I know that... Justice must be done for the guards. But there's just one more thing complicating it.

I don't know what happened to her after she left Imardin. From the bits and pieces I managed to scrounge together, I guess she fought her father for the last time, and won. But Wolf, she doesn't remember anything- not you, not me, not the guards, nothing outside of her father and what he did to her! Where is the justice if she doesn't remember being the same person who killed the guards?

[Wolf] I do not know, she may have lost her memories, but then that is no defence, for we cannot know for sure that she truly has lost her memories. If she was allowed to get away with it because she does not remember doing it then you effectively say that it's ok to kill people if you claim you can't remember doing so.

Wolf, I know what's going to happen- they're going to have her put to death. That's all there is to it.

But after all she's been through, she deserves some comfort! I can't abandon her now!

I need to take a step back from all of this and clear my head, but I can't afford to. Wolf, help me!

[Wolf] Look, I can't promise anything, but I'll speak to Thurin and ask him to see what he can do to help her. He's the nearewst thing there is to a civil authority here at the moment so he may be able to do something.

Thank you, Wolf, that's more hope than I've had in the past three weeks combined!

*Looks at him tenderly, her face becoming more like Wolf knew it to be. She leans in, and kisses him, very slowly and gently at first, becoming more intense as she regains her courage.*

~~*a quiet sinster voice whispers at the edge of wolf's mind* I can help you get the power you need, to do anything you want~~