Perhaps what Serena hated the most about having to fight others was not that the wrong move could result in her death, but how exhausted she always was at the end of everything. She had grown accustomed to life threatening situations from her travels and had accepted them quite easily, but no matter how much she tried, she could never surmount the exhaustion that seemed to follow.

Worst of all, it always blindsided her. It wasn’t until after she, Jo, and Pavel had returned from the tunnel, endured some tirade from Cruck’aa, and grabbed their prisoner did the exhaustion finally slam into Serena, worse than the dagger to her throat. So suddenly had it crept up on her that she almost fell over on their way up the stairs. Luckily, Jo had been able to hold her up before she went tumbling back down.

Not that Jo had been in a better state; in fact, all of them seemed to be thoroughly exhausted. Pavel could barely walk straight and carrying the groggy Thief’s Guild member over his shoulder didn’t help matters. Even Cruck’aa seemed tired, his usual complaints dying away as they left the inn.

Fortunately for them, a guardhouse was just a short walk away; evidently, Jo had spotted it during her first trip to the inn. Unfortunately for them, however, the guard manning the front desk that night did not believe their story in the slightest.

Serena couldn’t blame him though; when Pavel had explained the situation out loud to the wide-eyed guard, the whole thing did seem outlandish. By the time all of them had been thoroughly questioned, their prisoner locked away, and promises made that Simon would contact them in the morning, the city bells had barely tolled twice, much to everyone’s dismay.

It was a wonder that Jo was able to lead them back to Werond’s; Serena and Pavel could barely keep their eyes open as they stumbled along after her, Cruck’aa muttering his complaints about their interrogation behind them. Thankfully, those complaints had ceased the moment Werond’s gate came into view.

No one said a word as they dragged themselves in, Pavel, Jo, and Serena haphazardly throwing their weapons and armor into the foyer closest. The rest of the house was dark and eerily quiet as they trudged up the stairs, everyone splitting off to their rooms at the top. Serena halted in front of Werond’s room, rubbing her eyes, listening as the other bedroom doors shut behind her. A part of her thought about going back downstairs and sleeping on the couch, so as not to wake Werond, but the thought of sleeping alone sent a touch of anxiety through Serena’s chest.

Just as she reached for the door, however, it popped open, starting Serena, and Graham, who stood on the other side. He slapped a hand to his chest, a large black bag clutched in the other.

“Miss Lash,” He said, quickly recovering. “what timing. I was about to go out and see if I could acquire the services of an actual doctor, but perhaps your healing would suffice.”

“What?” Serena asked. “A doctor? Is something wrong?”

Graham shook his head; an exhaustion that rivaled her own weighed on his shoulders, aging him where he stood.

“Yes. Miss Torohar is not…well.” Serena’s heart leapt as Graham spoke. “I tended to her as best I could, but alas, I am not well versed in medicine. Perhaps you can improve on some of my handiwork.”

“What happened?”

Graham sighed, then moved past her.

“I would advise you ask her yourself. Please don’t try to scold her as much as I did. I’ll see about bringing up some tea in a moment.”

Anxiety tight in her chest, Serena pushed into the room and shut the door behind her, fearing for the worst.

The doors to the balcony were, as always, open to the chill of the night, sending a shiver down Serena’s back. Moonlight barely shone through, illuminating the room just enough for Serena to make out Werond seated at the table to the left of the balcony. She was slumped forward, hand pressed against her face, with a half-finished glass of wine on the table in front of her.

Werond did not look up when Serena snapped her fingers, nor when she tossed up a small ball of blue light, illuminating the room better than the moonlight. Even when Serena made her way over, exhaustion forgotten and heart in her throat, Werond still didn’t acknowledge her. Was she asleep? But that didn’t explain why Graham had been in there, or why…

Up close, it quickly became apparent why Graham believed a doctor was needed. Properly visible in the blue light, Serena could make out Werond’s right arm laying on the table, hand wrapped in bandages stained pink. Blood dotted the table around the glass of wine, too much for Serena’s liking, and more gauze was stuffed into Werond’s nose, her other hand holding it in place. When Werond did finally look up as Serena halted in front of the table, she pulled the gauze out, a twisted mess of red, revealing a crooked, broken nose.

“I swear,” Werond said, voice thick, nodding towards the glass in front of her. “I’ve only had half a glass…I’m not over doing it. I swear. Just…just for pain.”

Serena could only stare, her signs failing her. Werond caught her gaze as it shifted to her hand, causing her to pull it against her chest, eyes downcast.

“Graham did the best he could.” She said. “Doesn’t hurt really. Throbs, I guess. I wouldn’t worry about it. I…” Werond nodded. “Yeah. I wouldn’t worry.”

Werond grabbed the wine glass and sipped from it, still refusing to look up, hunched over with a pain that Serena couldn’t understand. And yet, despite that, she spoke as though the situation was normal, as though this was just another night for her.

The tears flowed before Serena could stop them, the tremors in her body coming soon after. It took Werond a moment to look back up, but when she did, she leapt to her feet, single arm extended for a hug.

“Darling, please don’t cry.” She whispered. “It’s okay. I’ll be –”

Serena planted her hand against Werond’s chest, right above her broken one, holding her back. Werond blinked, then looked up, blue light illuminating the exhausted realization that dawned upon her.

“Wrong thing to say. Sorry. I’m just…” Werond’s mouth snapped shut and she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Sorry. Here.” She offered her bandaged hand to Serena and looked away.

Serena gently took Werond’s hand into her own and unwrapped the stained gauze. She couldn’t help but silently gasp at the damage; it looked as though something had crushed Werond’s hand, folding it in on itself, ruining it completely. Though Graham had done his best to set it, it still wasn’t enough to completely repair Werond’s hand.

Fighting back another wave of tears, Serena pulled from the well within her and poured it into her hands; silver light cascaded from them, clashing with the blue overhead, as Werond’s skin beginning to sizzle.

Werond gasped, not expecting the sudden pain, and hunched forward, body tense, grabbing Serena’s arm with her free hand. Despite the damage, she didn’t scream as Serena had anticipated; instead, only the smallest of whimpers fled from her lips, each driving a dagger through her heart. And yet, despite how much it hurt to see Werond in even more pain, Serena kept up the healing, determined to fix her hand in one go.

The process took far longer than usual, but when Serena was finally finished, the well within her almost depleted, Werond’s hand looked just as it had when Serena had left that night.

Werond straightened up and gently pulled her hand away; she rubbed it and flexed her fingers, which thankfully moved without any issue.

Serena raised her hands towards Werond’s face, determined to fix her nose, only for Werond to jerk back, her hands held up, almost as if she were pleading. Tears glistened on her cheeks.

“S-sorry, sorry,” she stammered, quickly crossing her arms against her body. “I-thank you, I,” Werond hiccupped. “I can live with the nose f-for right now. Just…I don’t w-want to be in any more pain tonight. Sorry.”

“Uhm…Okay…” Serena signed, wiping away her own tears with the back of her hand. “How’s your hand? Does it hurt? Do I need to fix anything?”

“No, it seems fine. Thank you, darling.”

“Okay. Just…let me know if it hurts.”

“Of course.”

Silence fell between them for a moment, a breeze lazily flowing into the room. Werond shivered and wiped her tears away, before straightening up, folding her arms back against her chest.

“So, how did the visit go?” she asked. “Did anything happen or –”

Werond wilted under Serena’s stare, ducking her head. She refused look up as Serena stepped closer, eyes glistening with fresh tears.

“Please don’t act like there’s nothing wrong.” Serena signed, hands to her chest, voice a whisper. “Not after everything that we talked about. Werond, please talk to me. What happened to you? I can’t…I don’t want to see you like this. Please.”

For a moment, Serena thought Werond wouldn’t answer. Her head remained turned and she chewed her lip as though she was picking out just the right thing to say. Just as Serena began to sign again, however, Werond sighed and slipped back into her chair, legs facing towards her.

“My boss is an asshole.” She said, bowing her head.

Serena waited for a moment, but when Werond offered nothing further, she stepped forward and moved to kneel on the floor. She adjusted her long skirt to pad her legs, then rested her hands on Werond’s knees, ensuring her signs would be visible.

Werond glanced at her hands, then met Serena’s gaze with a small smile.

“There’s another chair, you know.” Werond said.

“I thought you’d like this more.” Serena whispered.

“I…” Werond’s smile dropped, and she shook her head, as though she didn’t deserve the small kindness. “Yeah. I do.”

Finally uncrossing her arms, Werond laid her hands on top of Serena’s. Despite their warmth, Serena couldn’t help but shiver.

“After you all left, I headed to the office, like I said I would. Just…didn’t want to wait, got too nervous, I guess. I got there alright. I…tried to start getting some stuff done, but my boss…decided to show up, and he wasn’t happy about…a lot of things.” She swallowed. “There was…a lot we didn’t see eye to eye on and he…well…did all of this to me.” Werond tightened her grip on Serena’s hands, just as she was about to pull them away. “He pulled me over my desk and…kicked my face, stomped on my hand. Pretty hard. Threatened me a bunch of times and then left. I…passed out after. Must have been gone for a bit. Took everything I had to drag myself home. Only been here for a bit though.”

Werond released Serena’s hands, folding her own into her lap. Serena could only stare at her downcast eyes, her chest tighter than it had ever been. Despite the horror of Werond’s words though, she spoke of the incident almost casually, as though it was just another night for her.

“Your boss…” Serena began slowly, still processing Werond’s words. “was just there? In your office.”

“No, he came in a little bit after I arrived. He made mention of trying to get ahold of me beforehand but…I guess I missed him.” Werond shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“And…you just…” Serena’s fingers froze for a moment, but she had to know. “you just let him hurt you like this? Did you do anything to fight back?”

“Nope.” Werond said flatly. “This isn’t the first time he’s done it, either.”

“Why do you let it happen then?”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes you do! You’re a Masked Lord!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Werond –”

Werond looked up and met Serena’s gaze, her red eyes blank.

“He was involved in Tai’s death, Serena.”

Serena’s hands froze, her signs failing her once more. Werond, however, seemed too tired to react properly; what Serena expected to be anger was nothing more than burnt-out weariness.

“I don’t really have any evidence.” Werond continued quietly. “I mean…I suppose I do. He was there when I found Tai. He…made a few comments that were…rather obvious, in hindsight. I didn’t see it then, but I did later. And it made sense. If anyone had the power to hurt a Masked Lord like that, it would be him.” She looked over at the wine glass on the table. “I don’t just let it happen, Serena. He’s proven himself to be dangerous. There’s not much I can do but look away and bear it. Besides, he…” Werond sighed. “he threatened you tonight. I didn’t want to do anything in case it came back to bite you.”

Werond grabbed the glass and finished off the remainder of her wine, just as Serena’s heart sank into her chest.

“He…” She signed slowly, almost in disbelief. “he threatened me? He knows about me?”

“Yeah. He…” Werond’s shoulders slumped as she put the glass back down. “He threatened you a lot. Called you “Vorn’s child” like that was –”

“What?!” Serena leapt up from the floor, startling Werond. “He said Vorn?!”

“Gods, Serena, I…” Werond scratched at her chest. “Yeah. He said Vorn.”

“You’re sure he said Vorn?!”

“Yeah, I’m positive, why…” Werond blinked. “Wait, isn’t Vorn your dad? Didn’t…Vanet mention that? From the caravan?”

“Yeah.”

Talons of icy dread clawed through Serena’s chest. The night that she had left Mirabar always sat in the back of her mind, despite knowing next to nothing about what had happened. She knew her family, especially her father, had been at some point hunted by another, but could that hunter actually be Werond’s boss, of all people?

“Who even is your boss?” Serena asked, the question striking her amidst her shock.

“A Drow. Jarlaxle.” Werond looked up. “I have nothing else besides that.”

“I don’t either. I’ve never heard that name before.” That wasn’t surprising though; despite how close they were, Ned never did fill her in on anything regarding the night she left. “How is a Drow on the Masked Lord council though? Or…whatever it is.”

“He’s not. Jarlaxle is just…there.”

“And you can’t get help from anyone else?”

Werond sighed and shook her head.

“I wish I could, Serena, I really do. But he’s wormed his way in and cemented himself somehow. I don’t know. You need to understand that all his power comes from what he holds over me. I could go to Silverhand, sure…uhm, the Open Lord, and I’m sure she could do something, but the moment she did…” Werond shrugged. “I-I don’t know what would happen. It wouldn’t be simple, and I doubt even the strongest of protections would save me. I’d…I’d be done.” She hung her head. “And that’s just something that I have to live with.”

Serena bent forward and lowered her hands for Werond to see. “And how long has he been doing this?”

“A long time.” Werond said quietly. “A very long time.”

When she offered nothing more, Serena straightened up and ran her hands through her hair. She sighed deeply, though it came out silent.

A maelstrom seemed to rage inside her mind, a storm that she couldn’t make sense of. Just knowing that Werond lived under the thumb of someone so horrible and abusive made her skin crawl; that feeling was only made worse by just how much Werond had downplayed the situation from before. Serena knew that she hated her boss, but never would she have guessed that it was this bad. And coupled with the fact that, somehow, Werond’s boss had a connection with her father, Serena was left at a complete loss for words. What was she supposed to do in such a situation?

Then again, did that even matter?

Her thoughts still muddled, Serena reached out and tapped Werond on the shoulder; her chest still ached at the sight of Werond’s red eyes gazing back at her, but that ache only steeled her quick decision.

“Werond, I…” Serena thought of a quick prayer to Bahamut. “I’m not sure what to say right now, other than I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you tonight, or any of the other times that you’ve suffered through all of this. It…really does kill me inside to see you hurt or feeling like this, and…I…want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I told you before, and I still mean it; I still want to stay with you, especially now. I have no idea what to do about this Jar…Jarhead, or whatever his name is. But that won’t matter as long as I’m here with you. We can figure something out together. I don’t know when or how, but when we do, I…I’ll be standing right there with you. We’ll send him to hell together. You won’t have to do this alone any longer. I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

Serena dropped her hands, heart pounding in her chest. She knew her words were clunky, and she hoped the burning in her cheeks wouldn’t give away just how lost she felt. The desire to keep her promise, to stand by Werond, still burned brightly within her chest, but finding a way to express that was just out of her reach.

She waited for Werond to voice her concerns, but those objections never came. Instead, she smiled a weary smile, one that seemed to highlight just how heavy her exhaustion truly was.

“I know.” Werond said. “I knew you’d say something like that the moment you walked in. Hells, maybe even before that.” She pushed herself out of the chair to stand in front of Serena. “Maybe I just know you too well by now.”

Werond wrapped her hands around Serena’s waist, that familiar warmth burning away all of Serena’s fears and anxieties.

“But I really don’t want you doing any of that.” She whispered. “None of it. Because it scares me to death. This is what I meant Serena. I’m so scared that you’ll stay and end up exactly how Tai ended up. I know you’re strong, I know you’re stubborn…but Jarlaxle is in a league of his own. He’s dangerous. And there’s nothing that I’d want more right now than to find a way to convince you to leave me without looking back. But I don’t think there’s a thing I could say to make you do that, is there?”

“No.” Serena replied instantly, perhaps a little too forcefully. “And I won’t apologize for that either, Werond. I…I love you too much to just abandon you. I would never even think of doing that.”

Werond squeezed her eyes shut and smiled a sad smile. Tears began to run down her cheeks once more as she nodded.

“I know.” She whispered hoarsely. “I’m sorry Serena.”

Without waiting for a response, Werond stepped closer and pulled Serena into the tightest hug that she’d ever received from her. Serena blinked, her own eyes beginning to ache as she wrapped her arms around Werond.

“I love you so much.” Werond whispered.

Serena closed her eyes, her own tears beginning to fall, her heart almost beating in time with Werond’s.

“I love you too.”