-Maddox-

More silence.

Maddox hated silence. Silence made his thoughts run wild, made them so loud, reminded him of things he would rather not think of. It reminded him of Cithrel, of those final days.

Still, emaciated, dead-eyed. And so fucking quiet.

The hush was his fault. Varia killed the guard in Ocath so easily, and Maddox was struck quiet with disgust. Varia still held so much anger. Maddox was a fool to think he would have let that rage go so easily.

Still, it seemed so easy for Varia to kill, rage or not. Maddox could kill, he did kill when he needed to do so. He perhaps killed too easily during open and active war. But they were not in open war now. They were ghosts walking among the Nihalians. They did not need to kill these people. Varia suffered from those he killed, yet he still drew his blades without hesitation.

It left a bad taste in Maddox’s mouth. Did he hate Nihalians? Truly? He had the thought before, but being faced with the bloody realization was another thing entirely. Did he think the same of Er Rians? What of those tribal Arcturians who lived beyond the councils’ influence, in the deep woods? Did he see them as lesser too? Was it only Nihalians? Was it everyone? Did Varia think of him that same way? He didn’t know which he would prefer.

Would he turn on him then? Would it be as easy for him to drive a sword into Maddox as it was to drive swords into his perceived enemies? The cave elves, Elder Zeale and her warriors, Niahlians, Er Rians…

His men, his troops, his friends. Varia slaughtered all of them.

No.

That was not Varia. Varia was prone to violence, but how could he not be? He was raised to be violent, they forced him to be violent. Varia was a victim. All the children who grew up under the Council’s rule were victims. That was the purpose of his path forward, that was why he was doing this. For people like Varia, who never had a chance to be good. The blood between them made it hard to remember sometimes, but he had to remember.

Varia was not some monster, not intentionally. He showed compassion and mercy without prompting a surprising amount of time. The guards were aggressive, tore his mask from his face. He responded within reason, at least for him. Halan had not treated him with suspicion or hostility, and when he admitted that he knew who Varia was, Varia did not kill him. He had said he would, said that they should, but he did not. Maddox, who had been Varia’s enemy for so long, was also spared by him in the aftermath of the destruction of Emeriss.

Even though he was lost in his own thoughts, second guessing Varia and his humanity, the pair followed a path in the sands. It was likely left by a merchant train, one that had moved through rather recently. The winds had not blown the trail over, which made traveling on foot easier. They traveled in silence, though the odd glance from Varia told Maddox that he knew something was wrong. But Varia did not mention it, not that Maddox expected him to. Beyond compassion, Varia did not know how to comfort someone. He was surprisingly shy when it came to proper human interactions. If there was no violence involved, Varia was lost on how to act.

By the time the sun lowered, Maddox, though his thoughts had turned more favorable to Varia and his actions, did not feel any better. The violence in Ocath, though minimal compared to their usual violence, still weighed heavily on him. Only one man died, but it was one too many. That man shouldn’t have died. He should not have crept up on Varia. He should not have torn his mask from his face, discovered who he was. But did that warrant death? To Varia it had.

The pair opted out of starting a fire, knowing too well that the light would carry, and others would see them from a distance. They sat across from one another, gnawing on dried meat, silent still.

Gods, did he hate silence.

They had to speak on what happened soon anyway. Varia knew something was wrong, but he would never speak about it first. He was probably unaware of exactly what was bothering Maddox anyway. With a heaving sigh, Maddox turned his gaze to Varia, who looked to him expectantly.

But, behind Varia, he could see the flicker of firelight dancing over dunes. Someone was nearby. Varia followed his gaze, and then rose to his feet to peer out towards the light.

“Most likely the train we’ve been following.” Maddox said from around a mouthful of the meat. He rose to his feet despite the dismissive tone of his voice. They would do well to link with the merchants. They would be protected, and would not look so odd, traveling alone without carts or nags. Less attention. Less chance for violence.

Varia wiped his hands on his trousers, crouching to lift the bag he was carrying. “If it is, it’s a large caravan.” He murmured. Maddox agreed silently as he prepared to move.

If the caravan was comfortable enough to light fires, then they had adequate protection against bandits and soldiers. It was a good sign, and the exact sort of group Maddox had wanted to travel with in the first place. The road to Qruedon was harsh, especially with few people. The road was a frequent place that bandits targeted, and the bandits between Ocath and Qruedon were quite prone to murder and rape as well as thievery. Not that Varia and Maddox were easy targets, but it was still not something he wished to deal with. The bandits would avoid the caravans if they seemed too much of an issue. Rarely were there enough bandits to form a serious threat to a large caravan.

With packs in hand and masks covering their faces, the two made for the light. Though, when they drew near, Maddox could practically smell blood on the air. They did not speak, but lowered to crawl along the sands, rather than approaching on foot, and crept up a sand mound until they were peering down where the campfire was.

Snaking between the hills of sand was a small stream. It was a runoff from the river that sliced through the Giants Breast, finding this small place carved between the dunes. The stream was only slow trickle, not much, but enough for men to refill their waterskins and to water their horses. The stream likely dried up in warmer weather and would not run even to Maddox’s ankles if he waded through it. But there were small bushes and even a skinny tree with spiky leaves near it. It was a good place to camp, especially for bandits.

There were tents set up against the dunes, game strung up along the skinny tree, gutted and skinned. The fire was large, more like a bonfire instead of a campfire. The caravan they had been trailing had gotten caught by these bandits, if the carts and horses were any indication. The bandits were rummaging through the boxes and chests that had been placed in the carts, some were wearing fine silks and jewelry, others ate exotic fruits directly from the crates they came in.

But what bandits do with their stolen goods was not Maddox’s concern. What he was concerned with was the women and children who were bound near the tents, dirty, caked with dried blood. Some looked terrified, with tear-streaked faces. Others sat quietly, with dark circles under their eyes, but no emotions besides.

“Slaves.” Maddox whispered. Slaves for plenty of purposes, he was sure of it. Some of the women were swollen with child, even though some looked very young. He didn’t need Varia to confirm it. He had found plenty of remains, evidence in his years fighting Legion.

“Aye. Bandits bring slaves to Legion in exchange for pay. Slaves, bed warmers, information. The council purchased all of them.” Varia replied, though even he could not hide the faint disgust in his tone. That was good. It was good that Varia seemed as against the practice as Maddox was, though Varia was likely quieter in his distaste.

Maddox turned his gaze to Varia briefly, then back to the scene below. He knew of the practice, and he knew Varia often did keep slaves in his camps. He had raided enough that he could tell. But Varia did not know better. He was Arcturian, raised by the Council. Those he did keep were rarely used for bed, and more often used for information. Varia did not release them, but many would argue that killing them was kinder than allowing them to live as slaves of Arcturus. He could not fault him, anyway. The Council always had a predilection for slaves.

That was what they declared war on Nihal for, so long ago. Nihal refused to accept humans as goods for trade, and that was all Arcturus was willing to trade for things like food. Arcturus was a country rich with precious metals, so it wasn’t that there was a lack of resources to trade. They just did not want to provide metals to other countries, when they would rather send their people instead.

Maddox stared below, his eyes moving over the carts, the horses. The supplies. They needed the supplies, badly. Horses would help as well, and the carts would be an added bonus. On top of that, robbing the bandits, the slavers of their lives would spare their victims’ lives. At least the ones who still lived. He could see where the smell of blood and death had come from. Off behind the tents, nearly covered by sands, were the bodies of the others. The merchants if he had to guess, the men at least. They had to kill the bandits if they wanted the supplies. They should kill the bandits and free the women and children they were savaging.

Maddox turned his gaze to Varia once more, though he did not know how to ask him to kill more people. After he spent this entire trip so far disgusted with the easy way Varia killed. Varia looked to Maddox, and though there were no words exchanged, he sighed and shifted against the sands to draw his sword from where it was resting.

“I won’t need your help. I can dispatch them quickly.” Varia murmured, pulling his hood from his head and sliding his hands back to pull his hair from his face.

Maddox watched, amused with the sight. He had not seen Varia’s face so exposed, and his hair tamed in that way for quite some time. The last time was certainly on a battlefield somewhere, and Varia likely only stayed exposed like that for a few moments before being lost in the fray of battle. Even then, with all the fury and rage that Varia displayed then, seeing his face shrouded by locks of dark hair that escaped his tie, Maddox had thought him attractive, though terrifying indeed.

“Go on. I will handle the captives while you work.” Maddox agreed, reaching a hand to gently touch Varia’s. Varia glanced to their hands, then allowed his gaze to linger on Maddox’s a moment. With effort, he turned his attention to his path down, and began to move.

Maddox slid down the dune, intending to wrap around closer to the tents and the captives with them. As he did, he could hear the killing begin. Varia spent over a decade fighting in the sands, and he, like Maddox, was an expert at it. Maddox breached the hill he had come to and slid down it clumsily. The captive Nihalians were panicking, attempting to scatter, but most were unable to escape their bindings. Others had run, though the sight of swirling shadows and the sounds of rending flesh and bone was horrific.

Maddox had no time to think, no time to inspect the condition of the captives. A bandit surged towards him, one who had been trying to drag off a small woman, axe drawn and eyes wild with fear and anger. Maddox drew Cithrel quickly, parrying the blow and ramming his shoulder into the breast of the man. The bandit toppled into the sand, axe sliding in the sand away from him. The man raised his hands in surrender, but Maddox did not accept it. This was his fault. He had done things to these women and children that Maddox could not even imagine. He brought Cithrel down and drained the man’s blood into the sand.

Turning to the captives, who were clutching one another, huddled between a dune of sand and a tent. The demonic shriek of shadow seemed so loud, and the sounds of dying men surrounded them all.

“You will grab whatever supplies you can carry, and you will walk east for half a day. There is a town there, Ocath, and a man named Cawe. Find Cawe and keep quiet as you do. He will protect you.” Maddox spoke in low Nihalian. Even if some of these poor people were high born, they would understand. He spoke calmly, firmly and did all he could beyond yelling to speak over the sounds of death that seemed to be growing closer.

Some of the captives were watching him, listening to him. Better to focus on him than whatever was happening behind him. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. He knew that all he would see was red splashing and black churning. One of the women, an older woman, reached to the bandit he had killed to remove the bag he carried at his hip. Her skin seemed stretched too thin over bones too sharp. One of her eyes was milky, half closed and blind. It didn’t move like the other eye and seemed a relatively fresh wound. She had likely been with these bandits for longer than most. She seemed calm, like she was seeing and hearing things that were not truly there. She probably was. That was how these people dealt with what their lives had become. They let their mind take them to another place. She would help the others. She would keep the more frightened one’s calm with her stoic visage.

Others though, they were not looking at Maddox. They were not moving. They were clutching one another, their eyes focused behind him, wide with pure terror. Some were weeping, others were frozen silent and still. They were watching Varia slaughter the men who had stolen them from their homes. He wondered if any of them knew who he was?

The woosh of a shadow sounded, closer than it had been. His fist tightened around his sword, his body tensed and ready to spring into an attack. The shadows unleashed, so close to him were so familiar. He knew the sound of them on the sands, knew that they would darken those grains and leave them charred and muddy with blood. They were close to him, close enough to strike if Varia chose. Would he choose that? Why wouldn’t he? Then he could do as he pleased, he could kill Nihalians at every turn, he could return to the Council…

“Listen to me!” His own voice startled him out of his thoughts of the Varia he knew before. That was not the same Varia he was with now.

“Listen! He will not harm you, but you must go quickly!” Maddox snapped to the group, the ones who had not looked to him were now. He sounded like a Captain; he was a Captain. He wielded authority like a blade, and they listened to him.

That drew their attention, and though several did cast wary looks to where Varia was, they soon grouped together and vanished behind the dunes. The sounds of death were growing less and less, and when Maddox came from where he had been hidden away, it was clear why. There had been many bandits, perhaps more than they originally thought. Varia was thorough, and beyond a few still groaning wounded men, the camp seemed void of life beyond the two of them.

Maddox approached Varia while the Arcturian closed in on a wounded man. He lingered back, watching. Varia had been dispatching the wounded, making certain that no one was left. The man opened his eyes, blood spattered across his face, his old, worn leathers torn and stained as well. Maddox felt a stab of something, compassion. His eyes moved over the bandit, trying to determine if there was any chance to save him, but… There was not.

The man’s right leg was severed at the knee, and the blood-soaked trail of sand indicated he had tried to drag himself to safety. There was no safety when Varia was doing his duty though, and the man had given up just on the outskirts of the camp. Even if the man had only been missing a leg, they were not so advanced and did not have what they needed on hand in order to even attempt to save him. He would die no matter what. At least Varia was ending those who still moved, and he seemed to do it quickly.

Beyond the missing leg, the bandit held his stomach, his hands full of his own guts. It was a miracle he was still alive, though the gaunt, paleness of his face and the wheeze of his breath indicated he was not long for this world, Varia or no. Varia approached him, and the bandit’s eyes slid open. He gazed up at Varia, who stood above him, inspecting him. Varia moved to the side of the man, shifting his foot under him to turn him over.

“You’re meant to be dead…” The man said, his voice hoarse, speaking his words slowly, as if he was worried that he would forget what he was saying. He sounded tired, distant, like he was using the last of his strength to speak.

Varia hesitated for a moment, before he rolled the man. The man groaned, a deep, guttural noise. It was the groan of a dying man and sent a chill down Maddox’s spine.

“Aye.” Varia replied and pressed his sword against the back of the bandit’s neck, at the base of his skull. With effort, he pressed his sword down, using his weight until it popped past bone and sunk into the man. Air left him, blood pooled around his neck, and the bandit’s eyes rolled up and then back into his skull, his mouth dropping open.

Maddox stood back, watching Varia. Varia lingered for a moment, leaning on his sword, his weight pressing the man down into the sand. Once he was satisfied that the bandit was dead, he pressed a boot onto the man’s back, and withdrew his sword. He pressed his foot down harder, until the man sank into the sands and, though he was not entirely covered, would leave him there to be buried by the winds.

“That took you long enough. You must be losing your edge.” Maddox said, folding his arms casually when Varia turned to eye him.

Varia snorted, turning his eyes down to his leg, wiping his sand and blood covered sword onto his trousers. “Where did you send the slaves?” He asked, voice low.

That gave Maddox pause. Why did he need to know that? He didn’t want to assume anything, but…

“I sent them away. We can’t take them with us and leaving them only invites trouble.” Maddox said, voice jovial as usual, despite his worry that Varia was asking because he wanted to kill them. He wouldn’t do that, despite the murderous nature Varia often displayed, it had not been against innocent people. Not since Emeriss fell, not since he stopped taking orders from the Council.

But, despite Maddox wishing things were different, the look Varia turned to him was angry. “They saw me.”

Fuck.

Maddox let his arms slip from where they had been folded, rubbing a hand through his hair, pushing it back. The large fire was keeping them warm, but he could feel the cold creeping in. “We don’t need to worry. They will not say anything. We saved them, the last thing they will want to do is tell people what they saw.”

“How do you know? You’re just assuming that they will not say anything? As if seeing a very alive Demon of Arcturus with the Hero of Er Rai will not be the first thing on their tongues the very moment they see another soul.” Varia snapped. His tone was harsh, seeming like at any moment it would escalate. He was angry, very angry, and afraid.

Before Maddox could retort, Varia turned and marched to where Maddox had been with the captives. Maddox followed him, and though there were no captives remaining, Varia’s eyes followed the slight shift of sand from the captive’s feet. His gaze followed the trail until it fell behind the dune and vanished.

“I will go silence them.”

Maddox felt his heart press at his chest, his throat tightening. This was what he had been worried about since Ocath. This murderous Varia, a Varia who would kill anyone, because he did not know any better and refused to learn. Maddox’s casual and jovial tone took on an edge and a warning then, drawing Varia’s attention from the path the captives had taken.

“Leave them be. They may not even know who either of us are. You don’t need to kill every human that we meet.” Maddox’s casual and jovial tone took on an edge and a warning then, drawing Varia’s attention from the path the captives had taken.

When Varia sneered at him, he sighed, running another hand through his hair. Despite the cold, he was beginning to feel sweaty. Like he was anticipating a fight. He couldn’t fight Varia. He couldn’t let Varia run amok in Nihal unchecked. He would kill himself, kill other people who didn’t deserve it. He needed to be cautious.

“So what if they talk? They don’t know where we’re going, what we’re doing. No one will believe them anyway, especially if they tell people we’re together. Leaving them alive makes us blend with any other vigilante that may have come through,” Maddox slid his hands, now sticky with sweat, over his tunic with a sigh.

“We don’t need people searching for us because we’ve killed women and children. Murdering innocents, more than being an Arcturian who may look like the Demon of Arcturus, will get us hunted down.” He nearly believed his own words, but the way Varia turned so suddenly, turned on him… Varia did not.

“The bandits knew who I was. The guards in the last place knew who we both were. I was not expecting to leave anyone alive, so I was not cautious about using my powers.” That sounded like an accusation, like Maddox had not told him he planned to let some people live.

“The result of them speaking will be more fire from above, more death, more cities wiped from the map. How many innocents are you willing to risk for only a few? If we are discovered too early, Arcturus will withdraw Legion, and we will lose them. Or they could send the might of them for us, paint me as a traitor and use you as a weapon against me. For a man who spent so much effort turning me to your side, to fight for your fucking throne, you are so willing to throw it away on a few wretches.” Varia continued, beginning to incessantly pace, stepping over the trail in the sands, like he was afraid he may lose it. Like he still intended to follow it.

Maddox watched him, considered his words. He should have anticipated this, and he should have gotten rid of the damned tracks. He watched Varia’s gaze move from him to the sands, to the distant dunes where the captives surely were. Varia could find them; he would find them if Maddox could not talk sense into him.

“Even if word reaches Legion, no one will believe it. Who would believe that you, the Demon of Arcturus, allowed those poor souls to live? You are trying to be what Arcturus expects. You should do what is not expected.” Maddox was trying to stay calm, keeping his voice level and firm. Varia was angry, he could see the shadows twisting and flickering along the dunes and tents. This was a terrible situation.

“You don’t know anything about Legion or Arcturus.” Varia snapped suddenly, his voice finally following through on its threat and rising in volume. It was so quiet around them, with nothing but the sound of the fire crackling. His voice didn’t carry far, Varia was still a soft-spoken man, but that rise in his tone, that snap, that sneer… Maddox was losing.

“You cannot know the mind of all the men you cross, and to think you can is the sort of egotism that will get you, me, and everyone who follows you killed. Do not use my life, our lives to gamble in order to feel like a decent person!” Varia continued, though he did slide his cleaned sword back into its scabbard.

“Isn’t that what we are trying to be?! Decent fucking people?!” Maddox could not stop the words that tumbled from his mouth. His voice raised rapidly, all attempts to remain calm forgotten. Had he ever shouted at Varia like this?

It seemed so odd, but it was refreshing in a way he was unprepared for. He spent so long being the calm presence for Varia, a rock for him to lash out to that would never crumble and lash back. It felt nice to yell at him. He fucking deserved it sometimes. Varia also looked to him in surprise, unused to Maddox raging back. It fueled Maddox’s anger more.

“We cannot be decent people if we are dead, Maddox!” Varia snapped back, though much of the heat in his tone had vanished in his surprise.

“There will always be someone who wants us dead! Do you want to continue living like we’re at war? Killing anyone who may recognize us?! We can’t keep doing that, you can’t keep doing it!” Maddox flung his arms out, gesturing towards the direction the captives had gone.

“If Arcturus learns that we are alive, then everything would be for nothing! Legion’s line is not where my infamy stops! I’ve been in Nihal for fifteen fucking years, there’s no place that does not know me! You are known in Arcturus and you have not even been there since you were young!” Varia hissed through clenched teeth. The anger seemed to be vanishing and had begun to sound desperate instead. Varia truly did not understand. He didn’t understand the need to become decent.

“A handful of traumatized women and children in the middle of the damned desert are not what will kill us! I will not allow you to kill innocent people based purely on paranoia! If this does come to bite us in the ass, then whoever comes to challenge us will still have to face both the Hero of Er Rai and the Demon of Arcturus!” Maddox turned suddenly, sliding his hands over his face in an attempt to calm down.

“They are a threat! All of them are! Stop thinking that common folk are so naive, it is going to kill us, Maddox!” Kill us. That’s what Varia said. Us. He was not only afraid for himself, but for Maddox too. It was both frustrating and endearing. This was progress, in a strange way. But Maddox was still angry.

“When does it end, Varia?! What point do we stop living this way? At what point do we stop being machinations of murder and mayhem and start being decent people? The captives are no threat, not as you believe they are. At what point do we stop being so angry, Varia?” Maddox was pleading now. Their voices were drifting with the wind, across the dunes until they were lost to it. It felt good to yell like this, to argue with Varia. It made him feel like they were decent people, or at least becoming decent. Varia would not have stopped if he was not affected, he would have gone after the captives with or without Maddox.

Varia drew a sharp breath at Maddox’s words, finally shooting his gaze to the side and away from Maddox. Despite the anger still on his face, Maddox knew it was over. He won.

“If this leads to Arcturus finding out, it is because of you. I will remember, and so will you. Your mercy has put us at risk. The anger cannot stop, there is no room for anything else.” Varia said, voice low, finally. He sounded defeated, yet defiant. Maddox knew he would hold him to that, he would make certain that Maddox remembered if this was a mistake.

Maddox sighed, the stress leaving his shoulders all at once. He felt like he could collapse as the weight lifted. Varia had not done what he expected him to do. He wished to, but he didn’t. Maddox took several careful steps forward and moved his hands to Varia’s face, forcing his gaze to his own. He was dirty, splattered with blood that was not his own. His gaze was like a knife, and Maddox felt both stabbed by it and amused by the anger. It was not violent anger, it was fear. Like an abused animal lashing out at its savior.

Maddox’s thumbs brushed over Varia’s cheeks, one dipped lower to rub along the scars that splintered from the corner of Varia’s lips. “I will remember, for none will bear it harder than I will. If anything happens to Nihal because of this, because I did not allow you to kill those people, I will never forgive myself. If something were to happen to you, I would not be able to live with myself. We are bonded, you and I.”

Varia snorted his displeasure, scowling as he so often did when Maddox began to show him affection. But he listened, as he always did. Maddox leant forward, leaning his forehead against Varia’s despite the risk to himself. Varia was angry, and though it seemed to be fading, he could be unpredictable sometimes. But despite the worry he held recently, Varia was not blood thirsty. He was just damaged, that was all.

“However this plays out, we will face it together.” Maddox whispered. Varia’s eyes met his own, and he felt the tension melt from him. He smiled, and Varia sighed.

“I promised to help you build an Arcturus that I would wish to return to. I don’t think I would want to return to an Arcturus that would so callously murder innocent people.” Varia murmured, that fire in his voice fading as well. Like that, the angry monster was calmed and became a decent man once more.

“We do not need more of the same. This was not the first step, but it was one of the hardest. Soon it will come easy to you, to both of us.” Maddox whispered.

Varia looked at him then in such a way that Maddox wondered what was going through his mind. He no longer looked angry, upset. He just looked… calm. Content. It was such a strange expression to see on Varia’s face. He so often appeared tormented, angry. Like he was somewhere else, like his body was simply going through the motions of living while his mind closed itself off, sending him somewhere safe instead.

He looked beautiful. Maddox would like to see that look on his face more. “Soon I will take you home and soon you will have no one to worry about besides one another.” Maddox promised. Varia snorted in amusement and stepped back from that close embrace.

Varia’s eyes turned briefly to the trail, which had slowly begun to vanish. The breeze was shifting the sands of the dune, covering tracks and bodies. By morning, there would be no visible bodies in the camp, and in minutes there would be no tracks to tempt Varia into following.

Varia did not follow what remained. He and Maddox walked back towards the still burning fire, to the meat roasting over it. It was burned, but it was edible still. Varia sliced into it deep with his knife, revealing overcooked, but still good food. They pulled it from the fire and sat to eat together. Horse meat, most likely. There were a few dead horses they had seen, and the meat tasted like what Maddox knew horse meat, and beef, to taste like.

He glanced to Varia, who’s face and hand were smeared with grease. He was proud of him. Even though he argued to kill those people, he hadn’t. He spoke to Maddox instead, and did so likely knowing that Maddox would argue for them to live.

“I love you.” Maddox said after a long moment of the pair eating in a comfortable silence.

Varia turned a side eye to him, scrunching his nose. He leant back from the meat, watching him for a moment, like he wanted to accuse him of something. The expression on his face told Maddox he wondered what Maddox was going for, like he was sweetening him up for something later. It was amusing, and Maddox grinned at him.

“So you say.” Varia said cautiously. “What is it you want?”

Maddox chuckled, licking the grease from his own fingers. “I’m serious. I just wanted to remind you, and to remind myself. I do not take my love lightly, nor do I take your safety or our mission lightly. I fear now that we are back among the world, we will fight, really fight. We may become enemies again for a while. If we do, when we do, and we separate, I will look for you. Those ruins we found; they are our safe havens. We will find more, everywhere, and those are the places that I will search for you in. If we forget this feeling, our love, then these places will remind us.” Maddox did not know where this had come from, when those ruins were suddenly important to him. They spent very little time in them, but…

No one would find them there. They would be safe, together. Even if he never saw the sun again, and only had shadows to keep him company, he would be there with Varia and he would be happy.

Varia watched him for a long moment in silence, before he tilted his gaze to the sky. Maddox allowed the silence to linger and followed his gaze. Varia was looking to the star that he shared a name with. Varia lifted his hand, pointing to it, before dragging his finger across the vast, violet display that stretched so far. Next to the star Varia, there was another star. A bright star, close enough that it was perhaps part of Varia’s family but separated from the cluster.

“That star may already have a name, but… We should name it Maddox. Then we can look, and remember, no matter where we are.” Varia said softly. It was profound hearing something like that leave Varia’s lips.

Maddox felt his chest tighten, felt moisture threaten his gaze. “Ah… I think that is a good name for it.” He murmured; his voice belied the effect of Varia’s words on him.

Varia would not forget if they were separated, if they were enemies. Varia would never again be what the Council’s Arcturus wished of him. He was changed, he was free. He will be what he chooses, and that was what Maddox’s Arcturus wished. Maddox was excited to see what sort of person Varia would be.

He wanted to know that person. He was excited to know that person.