Valentine couldn't help wondering if it had been a cruel and sick joke that his namesake was that of a holiday of love. It was though he had been cursed at birth, to bear the name of such an occasion but to never experience love without a cost.
His mother had run off before Valentine could engrave her into his memory, and his father had made it perfectly clear that the only reason he had wished for a child was to ensure the continuity of the family bloodline. When Valentine reached an age where he could attend school, he had been unsuccessful at making friends, the other children deeming him as strange and cold. He supposed he couldn't blame them, after all his father had taught him many things during their training sessions but he had never explained the concept of friends, nor how Valentine could enslave a person and wield them in the name of friendship.
The only person that Valentine believed had ever truly loved him was his wife, Imelda. But of course, their love had killed her. Valentine had poisoned her during the act of making love, he had impregnated her which had led her to an early grave. Valentine would never forgive himself for it.
It was this that caused Valentine to realise that love simply wasn't meant for him. At first, the realisation had stung but eventually Valentine had gotten used to it. There were times that he was tempted to give in, to try again and pray to the angel that this time would be better. He was tempted whenever he held his children, when he watched them grow up, and when he wished to beg them for forgiveness as he witnessed bitterness budding in their eyes. He was tempted when he had met Arkon, whenever the man was kind to him, cooking for him and reaching for Valentine with a tenderness that he wasn't used to.
Valentine was tempted, he was oh so tempted. But he knew he could not give in. His father had trained him better than that. He was not weak. He could cry himself to sleep each night, but that would not change the harsh reality of his situation.
Valentine simply was not meant for love, and there was nothing he nor anyone else could do to change it. He was destined to be a lone warrior and he would remain strong.
