Chapter 741: The Earth Wept (Part Two)
"Why do I even care why you did what you did?"
Ashlynn’s mournful cry drifted on the winds of the storm lost in the tempests of wind and rain to all but the most sensitive of ears. But to the person who loved Ashlynn the most deeply, the person who could feel an echo of Ashlynn’s every anguished heartbeat within her own chest, the words were a cry that had to be answered.
"Because my darling Ashlynn is kinder and gentler than anyone deserves," Nyrielle said softly as she descended from the sky with a soft flutter of her dark, feathered wings. "Because you will suffer endlessly before you let your loved ones know even a bit of anguish," she added as she knelt in the mud beside Ashlynn, wrapping her arms around her lover and pulling her close enough to use her dark wings to shelter Ashlynn from the rain.
"No I won’t," Ashlynn said, denying Nyrielle’s words almost reflexively as she lashed herself with another bout of self loathing. "I forced Heila to fight to the death in the arena and I tormented Ollie with an impossible trial, and I..."
"That isn’t inflicting suffering," Nyrielle interrupted gently as she stroked Ashlynn’s damp hair. "That’s helping your loved ones learn to face adversity. They both thank you for it and neither one of them resented you for it at the time. Don’t let your pain twist your wisdom into a vision of cruelty, that isn’t who you are," she said, pulling Ashlynn tightly to her chest.
For a moment, neither woman moved as the wind and rain raged around them, pattering against Nyrielle’s wings loudly enough to drown out the small, choked off sobs that forced their way past Ashlynn’s lips. Then, ever so slowly, the intensity of the rain began to fade, diminishing along with the fierceness of Ashlynn’s cries as she drew strength from her lover’s embrace.
"Why did it have to be Jocey?" Aslynn asked, turning a red, puffy eyed gaze to meet her lover’s eyes. "It could have been anyone but her, even if it was my mother or father it wouldn’t have felt like this so why...?"
"I don’t know," Nyrielle said softly as she continued to stroke Ashlynn’s hair. "You’ll have to ask her yourself. At the point of a sword if you need to, or as her last words from the gallows if that’s what you desire. But not tonight. Not like this."
"No, no, I can’t wait," Ashlynn said, pushing back against Nyrielle with strength that would have been enough to overwhelm even a powerful knight like Sir Broll or Sir Rain but somehow still felt feeble against Nyrielle’s unyielding embrace. "Let me go! I need to find her. I need to take her away from him and I need to..."