Rosalina wenceded at the touching of the wounds. But when she saw the look on Darius's face as she felt the dress go higher, she frowned. "Darius. Please. How many times must I tell you. The lion attack was not your fault. You saved me before it could do more damage." she said.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"I should have protected you..." Darius whispered. "I'm sorry," he added. Listening to the conversation, Gareth just remained silent, understanding some of the burden the man carried. He had yet to forgive himself for Calista nearly dying trying to heal him. Once the mage finished applying the salve to the wounds, he set the pot aside and turned to leave the couple alone, needing to check up on Calista.
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Drawing her knees up to her body, Calista buried her face in her arms as she just trembled slightly. Everything was just happening to fast for her to process. It had only been either a day or two since she was brutally ravished and then beaten within an inch of her life. Then Rosalina had tried to kill the child with herbs and then with her kitchen knife. All she wanted was this nightmare to end. Glancing up, she saw the dried crusted puddle of blood on the kitchen floor and she trembled once again. "Someone...help..." she muttered to herself as she buried her face in her arms again, feeling tears come to her eyes.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina sighed, slowly sitting up she took Darius's face in her hands. "You did protect me." she said. "Please, stop blaming your self."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Darius took a moment to enjoy her gentle touch before opening his eyes again. "And did a marvelous job of it," he remarked, sarcasm in his voice. "I did such a fine job that you nearly died from your wounds," he added, not fazed by her words. Sighing to himself, he merely shook his head. "You need to rest, love" he said finally.
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Walking out of the room, Gareth went to look for Calista. Finding her sitting on the floor curled up and crying softly with her head buried in her arms, Gareth felt his heart ache at the sight. Walking over to her, he slowly sat down beside the weeping woman and gently pulled her into his arms.
"Oh, my love..." he whispered before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Turning her head, she buried her face against him, not knowing what was wrong with her.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina sighed. "You'll never forgive yourself, will you?" She asked as she laid back.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Probably not," Darius remarked as he gave her a forced smile. "Just get some rest," he whispered to her, not wanting her to push herself anymore.
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Resting his cheek on the top of her head, Gareth gently rubbed her back. "It's all right, dearest maiden," he whispered to her.
"Everywhere I look something reminds me of what happened," she murmured against Gareth. "I go outside, I remember being grabbed and tossed on horseback before being ravished, I come home and a puddle of blood stares straight at me in all its macabre glory. I can't escape from any of this...I just can't..." she mumbled, not knowing if she even made any sense as she clung tightly to the mage before breaking down into tears again.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina shook her head. "Darius . . . Calista is acting like my mother had." she looked at him. "Its my fault."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Sighing to himself, Darius just leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to the woman's brow. He did not want her to worry about anyone or anything until she was better. "We will see if we can assist her in any manner possible later. For now, you just need to rest," he replied gently. He was worn out to, but he refused to get rest until Rosalina did. Drawing in a deep breath, Darius could only shake his head a bit sadly. He remembered well what happened to Rosalina’s mother and how she ended---through suicide---and though he had been badgering Calista he did not want her life to end in such a manner.
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"How can I be free of this?" Calista whispered helplessly against Gareth. "I just want to be free of all this." A home was a place one was meant to feel safe. Instead, she felt trapped. Everywhere she turned a horrible memory sprang to her mind, threatening to suffocate her in fear.
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Jaw tightening at her words, Gareth just pulled her tighter against him. "We will get through this together, my love," he whispered to her as he gently rubbed her back. "I promise you, I will be with you every step of the way."

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina nodded as she closed her eyes. Falling asleep with a tear seeping from her eyes.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Heart clenching as he saw the tear slipping from Rosalina's eyes, Darius gently brushed his finger along her cheek to wipe to away. Frowning slightly, at the unusual heat coming from her skin, he could only pray that she did not have a fever. "I will return presently, love," he whispered to Rosalina with the intent of finding the mage to once again enlist his help in finding an herb to help heal her.
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Sobbing until she could cry no more, Calista just sat on the ground lying rather listlessly in Gareth's arms, a slight hiccup coming from her every now and then. "Just rest, dearest," Gareth whispered to Calista as he gently rubbed her shoulder and placed a soft kiss to her brow. "Things will soon be better, I promise you," he added, his heart clenching as he gazed down in her deadening blue eyes.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina had just murmered in her sleep. If she had heard him, she would have asked Darius to wait, and not seek more help.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Hearing Rosalina just murmur in her sleep, Darius placed a light kiss to her forehead once more before seeking out Gareth and Calista. However, he did not have to search far before he came upon a rather sorry sight. The woman was shaking slightly in the arms of the mage, her face wan and her blue eyes devoid of any spark of life. Gareth was trying to soothe her as best as he knew how, but as events crashed upon her one after the other, she just seemed to be slipping further and further away from him. Hearing approaching footsteps, Gareth looked up to see Darius approaching them.
"What is it?" the mage asked him, his tone less than kind, growing weary of the interruptions and even more irritated at the effects this stress was having upon Calista.
"Rosalina. She has a fever..." Darius whispered, ignoring the less than friendly tone in Gareth's voice. Biting her lip, Calista just stared at her hands. "We need to go to her, Gareth..." she mumbled, her words barely understandable. Giving her a gentle smile, Gareth placed a kiss to her temple, feeling proud of her. She had not yet fallen to madness and grief that she still couldn't care for others. Helping Calista to her feet, he took the woman's arm, letting her lean against him as they walked back to Rosalina's room, Darius walking quickly in front of them.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina had pulled the blanket up around her, trying to stay warm in her sleep, but she continued to shiver as if cold.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Walking into the room, Darius quickly made his way to Rosalina's side and gently placed his hand on her forehead. She felt warmer than she had a few minutes ago, which he knew was not a good sign. Following Darius to the bed, Gareth let go of Calista's arm as he examined Rosalina once again. Touching her face lightly, he then shook his head and pulled Calista on the side to talk to her privately for a moment.
"Her fever is high. I am going to need to find the ague herb. Will you be all right here?" he asked her, worry for her mental state showing in his eyes.
Calista slowly nodded her head and gave him a weak smile. "Go, I will fine," she whispered. "Of all of us, you can travel with the wind and will find the herb the quickest to help Rosalina. Do not fret for me," she added gently, though she wondered how long she could keep any sort of facade up.
Nodding at her, Gareth kissed Calista lightly on the lips and caressed her face gently before turning back to Darius. "Rosalina has a high fever. I will look for the herb to help her now," he told him. "And be gentle to Calista while I am away," he added sternly before leaving the room, not exactly comfortable in leaving her alone with mystical creature after he harped on her numerous times before.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina shivered some more. Again she murmered her feverish sleep. In her dreams she saw her mother, the way she was before the incident. Rosalina smiled and ran to the woman hugging her. but the woman didn't react. Her face became dead, her eyes blank. Rosalina knew what was happening. Her mother took out a knife and cut her wrists, but it wasn't her mother, it was Calista.

Rosalina turned into her sleep, trying to get rid of the nightmare.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Hearing her murmuring Darius sat on the bed and gently caressed Rosalina's cheek. "Aid is coming, Ro," he whispered to her. Watching Darius move to sit beside, Rosalina, Calista couldn't have felt any more relieved. She still felt unnerved around him and without Gareth with her, she felt defenseless and alone, almost wishing that Darius would stay in one corner of the room and she in another. Crossing her arms over her chest, Calista just watched the pair with empty eyes as she just shivered slightly. Knowing that she had to do something, she fearfully made her way outside and fetched a bucket of water from the well before hurrying back into the house, purposely trying not to look at the pool of dried blood on the floor. Grabbing a cloth, she made her way back to Rosalina's room and set the bucket down. Dipping the cloth in the cool water, Calista made her way over to the bed and gently dabbed Rosalina's face with it before laying the cloth on her forehead to hopefully bring down some of her temperature.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!