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He leaned closer to her, and she felt less afraid, looking into his surpassingly intense ice blue eyes Like he had so many times before, he caressed her cheek in his hand By the Divine, it felt so … norently at her "You're my little flower And I still love you Tell h you have seen the truth of myself?"

Mericlou mouthed out a word

"Say it, Tulyr," Aldrec said

"Yes …" She said in a voice choked to the edge of audibility

"Say it!" Aldrec said, the hiss of his quick enunciation hitting Mericlou's soul like a lash It filled her with a mixture of pain and pleasure alike as her wide amber eyes remained locked upon his intense blue ones

"Yes!" Mericlou yelped out, and thrust her hand into his She rushed forward, and threw herself into an e him with fervor and with passion all at once

She felt the tears flon her cheek as she held on to hi into them, simultaneously needful and terrified

Forgive me, Tulyr, his voice seerief

At last, releasing herself, she opened her eyes Aldrec was once again the Aldrec she recognized: all the fire and energy drained away And once more, tears fell fro the tears away, "Why are you crying now? Haven't you shown me what you wanted?"

"I have," Aldrec said soberly, solemnly "And yet I have not"

"I really wish you'd stop speaking in cryptic phrases," Mericlou said, feeling just a tinge of exasperation

"I' if not a product of h elves were cryptic?"

"Oh yes," Aldrec said, his voice pleasantly nostalgic "You have no idea just how much so As a matter of fact, this was only one of the reasons that our kind was forced to leave" "So you didn't all die?"

"Well, of course not," Aldrec said, with a tiny bit of indignation "I'm here, aren't I?"

"I'h "I don't knohat I was thinking It was just so? Hadn't you shown me the complete truth about yourself?"