Niko's eyes snapped open. As he looked up at Nienna seeing her tears, his eyes held neither the cold of his mood, nor the warmth of his usual self.
He began to twitch slightly. Niko was fighting with the urge to reach up and strangle her.Something was giving him the impulse to do so.
''Go'' he gasped to her. It wasn't safe for her to be around him at that moment.
''please''

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She stared at him, and saw he was serious. She did not want to leave, but she knew if she stayed she would most likely die. She carefully set him down, tears in her eyes, then ran out of the gates into the woods. She went deeper, and kept running until she had no idea where she was and until she was out of breath. She climbed into a tree, needing to be off the ground in hiding. She pushed herself against the trunk of the tree, silently sobbing. His mood had lasted longer this time.

As she left, it broke him to see what he had done to her. As well as her flute.
He stood up slowly, making sure he did not see where she ran off to. Sleep seemed to put away the mood so, fired up with anger, he ran headlong into a wall, knocking himself out for a time. When he awoke it was early morning, and his face was stained with blood. Yet his soul was stained with shame. The look in her eyes as she looked at him caused him pain beyond comparison.
He picked up her broken flute and went back to the house, tears in his eyes. Niko began to try and mend it.
As he worked, he remembered when he was quite young, how his own small wooden sword had broken and his uncle had stayed up with him quelling his crying and showing him how to mend it.
Niko worked for hours before finally finishing, it looked as good as new, the only show of toil was a slight scratch where it had split. He blew it and a note came out, reminding him of Nienna. Setting the flute on her pillow he began to cry.
What had he done?

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She had stayed up all night, watching and waiting, yet he never came. When morning came she slipped from the tree and began walking. She hoped she was going in the right direction, she truly had no idea where she was. She wiped at tears that began falling. She loved him so much, and she hated seeing him like that. Her bones were stiff from the cold, and many times she stumbled and fell, getting scratches on her arms, hands, and face. But she kept going until she finally saw the gates. She walked to the gates, and took one step inside, swayed, and dropped in faint from exhaustion. It was late afternoon when she had finally arrived.

Niko was woken from his thoughts when his door opened, he rushed downstairs, expecting to see Nienna walk through. His heart stopped as he saw two elves carrying her in. Without waiting for words he spoke
''As your king I command you to take her to her room and tend to her.'' He could not bring himself to follow and as they left after seeing to her he barely heard them tell him she was all right. Such was the guilt he bore.
He walked to her room and peered around the door. She was resting, her head on her pillow next to her flute. Niko set the flute in her hands and left the room.
''I'm so sorry, angel''

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She woke up with a pounding headache. She was in her room, with her repaired flute in her hands. But Niko was not present. She sat up against the headboard and cradled the flute close, tears streaming down her face. Perhaps he had left, she had expected so strongly for him to be there when she woke up. Yet he was not. While still holding the flute, she slowly moved off the bed and sat down on the floor on the side of the bed not seen from the door. If elves came in she did not want them to see her in mourning. She hid her face in her knees, her flute in her lap, and she cried once more. Yet she was silent as she cried.

Niko lay in the spare room, guilt racking his head.He could have killed her, once again.What was happening to him? Where did these moods come from? He looked down and the mark on his chest, no matter how he played it out he thought it had something to do with it.
Hearing movement he slowly went to Nienna's room scared at what he may find.
Opening the door, it appeared to be empty, shocked, he entered the room searching for Nienna. He found her, sobbing at the side of the bed, the flute in her hands.
As he saw her it all came flooding back to him. Her tears, her fear of him, how he was so close to hurting her, killing her even. It was too much. He broke down and began to cry and fell before her, kissing her feet.
''Forgive me, love. I am so so sorry''
He knew he did not deserve her forgiveness, he would have felt it justified if she drew a blade and slit his throat right then and there.

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She looked up, surprised. He was still there? She sobbed and threw her arms around him, clutching him tightly to her, thankful he was still there. Her face buried in his neck and her arms tightened even more. "Niko...Niko, Niko..." she just repeated his name.

He repeated his apology, as she repeated his name. At length he looked up at her and spoke, tears still falling from his eyes.
''I would never hurt you. I would die before I lay a hand against you.''
He knew she had every right to leave him, to hate him, to even kill him.
''I do not deserve your forgiveness''

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"Niko, of course I forgive you, and neither would I leave you or hate you." she cupped his face, her eyes looking at him in earnest. "I live you. Nothing, nothing can ever change that. You deserve my forgiveness as well as much more!"

He lay against her, trembling slightly with all that had happened. Niko couldn't speak or bring any logical thought to mind. She forgave him when it was the last thing he deserved.
''Le hannon, angel'' he said, still crying silently. ''Le hannon''

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"there is no need to thank me." she held him close, her own tears still flowing. "Thank you for repairing my flute." she whispered into his hair. She needed him, she didn't know why, but she needed him right then. "Le melon, husband, love..." she knew he would not want to then, yet she felt the frenzied feeling return to her. She ignored it and and held him, whispering words of comfort and live to him.

''You are welcome. It was all I could do.''
He closed his eyes, grateful that she was safe and had forgiven him. His tears began to subside somewhat. Niko clung tighter to her, needing her comfort and her warmth.He could never explain to her how much it meant to him that she was still there with him.

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She held him close, rubbing his back. She couldn't bear to see him like this. "Le melon." she just held him, comforting him as best as she could. She was just even more determined to figure out what it was that caused the moods.

Niko lay there against her for a while before he finally stopped crying.
He looked up at her and brought her to the bed with him.Laying down he knew he was close to sleep, he was terrified. What if the mood took him again.
Standing up, he left the room and returned with some rope. It was just a precaution. Each time the mood took him he seemed to get closer to hurting Nienna. The last time had been to close for his liking.
He tossed it to her and toppled onto the bed fast asleep, exhausted. He hoped she would understand what he needed her to do.

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She looked at the rope in horror. He wanted her to tie him up as he slept? Tears once again sprang to her eyes as she went to work. When she was finished, she lay next to him and draped her arm across him protectively before falling asleep herself.