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| Brilliant sunlight shining on her face woke her. Without opening her eyes, she tried to assess her condition and where she was. The warm softness beneath her felt like a feather bed and the covering felt like several blankets. And her body still ached from head to toe, though the physical pain was nothing compared to the grief that felt like an open wound. |
| Finally she opened her eyes and regarded the room she was in. It looked as if it were a simple peasant's cottage, the furniture had the rough look of hand made items who's maker wasn't concerned with appearance. The cottage was clean, warm, well lit and had a comfortable feeling to it. Seeing no one else, she very stiffly got out of the bed and made her way to the pot of stew that was set on the hearth near the fire to keep it hot. Nearby was a small table with bowl, spoon, mug, and other things. A clearly placed note written in a handwriting that clearly belonged to a man indicated that she should make herself at home, and the location of different items that she was likely to need. |
| After finding some clothing that fit her, she went outside, to find that the cottage was sitting in the middle of a small meadow, surrounded by forest. Unlike the grim and dark forests she had fought in, however long ago, this one was clearly a thriving forest, full of living creatures that weren't twisted or warped in anyway. |
| Days, then weeks passed, slowly Tylassa's body healed of it's wounds, her heart healed even slower. All during that time she was alone, but was grateful for it, since human company was likely to aggravate the wounds taken to mind, heart and soul. All during that time she did exercises to get herself back into shape, and went hunting when food supplies got low. |
| Then one day the last person she'd ever expected to see arrived at her door. The archangel Tyreal stood before her door, but not in all of his radiant glory. |
| "I should have known you were the one who brought me here...wherever here is. Why didn't you just let it all end like I asked you to?", she asked, trying to keep hostility out of her voice, and succeeding for once. |
| "I had my reasons." The brilliant bands of light as his back rustled, then in silence removed his helm, revealing a familiar face who's blue eyes didn't seem as world weary as before. |
| Reacting before she could really think things through, Tylassa screamed at him in rage, then punched him. Not expecting the attack, the archangel found himself on his back-end, ruefully rubbing his aching jaw. Being careful not to further aggravate the irate amazon, he carefully got on his feet. It didn't take long for him to recover from the blow, and while he could understand why she struck him, he was still emotionally hurt a bit. |
| "So you thought you could have some fun with a human, did you?" |
| He managed to block the second blow and grabbed her wrists, "I didn't intend for anything to happen, dammit. You asked for someone to help you, and I did what I could." The fist she'd made slowly unclenched, and she pulled away. |
| "Why did you come back then? To say it was fun and so long?" He winced at the bitterness in her voice. |
| Tyreal shook his head, "No, to see if you could still accept me." The pain in her eyes was too much, he hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't resist, he pulled her close. |
| The silence between them was punctuated only by the sounds of distant birdsong. |
| Finally she looked up at him, for the first time there was light, life and hope to be seen in her brilliant emerald eyes, "I do....but you're an archangel, one of the powers of the Light, and I'm a human warrior that's managed to kill a few demons." |
| He chuckled softly, "You aren't exactly human anymore, so that shouldn't cause too many problems." |
| Tylassa's eyes narrowed, "Explain." |
| "When you were healed there were...some changes. You aren't exactly human, but you aren't exactly an angel either." |
| She nodded slowly, "I'm willing to try...but how?" |
| He smiled broadly, "By taking the excellent advice you gave me once, not so long ago. We take it one day at a time." |
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