Lady of the Veiled Vale

Papa

Gwinneth sat in her rocking chair, though it did not move. She just sat there, staring out the window at nothing.

   Why can't they all just leave me alone? Why did he have to say those things? Why did Sam have to ask if I wanted more children? I told her I wanted a big family... before...

   But even in her own mind, she could not say the words. If she could, it would have been better. She was too afraid of the things she felt to let them see the light of day, so she shut down and tried not to feel anything at all. She thought that if she could just not feel, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. The trouble was, the harder she tried not to feel anything, the more she felt.

   He doesn't like seeing me like this, I know. I don't know how to tell him what's wrong, she thought. Nothing seems right, since I found out what Darien was. Just the thought of someone touching me—even Raiden—makes me sick. How can I make him understand that? I'm afraid, all the time, and I don't even know what I'm scared of.

   She heard the door open, but she did not turn around. She thought that if she kept her back to the outside world, they would just leave her alone.

   "My gods, girl, ye look like Death warmed over!"

   Her head whipped around to meet burning red eyes that she hadn't seen in years. "P...Papa?"

   "Aye, lass, 'tis me. What've ye gone and done to yourself?" Never one for gentleness, the God of War snatched the mirror off the wall as if it were a hand mirror. He thrust it in front of her and made her face what she'd done to herself.

   Gwinn gasped, touched one skeletal cheek. Her eyes, whirling an anxious yellow, met those of her father over the mirror. "I didn't know..."

   "All the more reason for me to take that husband of yours to task," he growled. "He told me you were dying, and I find I canna disagree. I dinna think 'twas possible, but you've managed to prove me wrong."

   Gwinn blanched, though it was hard to tell with her sallow skin. "You know we were married?"

   Ares forced a chuckle. "O' course, lass. I was there."

   Gwinn's brow puckered. "I didn't see you..."

   He smiled enigmatically. "I don't know how ye could miss the bloody big obelisk. Mayhap I should check yer eyes."

   Her mouth dropped open. "Since when can a dragon turn into an obelisk?"

   "When 'tis not a dragon, but The Dragon. Isn't that right, Ares?"

   "Ares..? As in the God of War..?" Gwinn asked faintly. When he nodded, her eyes rolled back in her head.

   "Whoa!" Her father caught her before she slumped out of the chair, carried her to the bed. When she was laid out on the coverlet, he looked down at her frail body and his heart withered a little.

   "I told you," his friend and son-in-law said sadly. Then he picked her up again, turned down the blanket, and tucked her in. "She gets so cold these days..."

   Ares scowled. "If you say cold as death, I swear I'll cut your heart out and feed it to you."

   Raiden sat on the bed next to his wife and stroked her lusterless hair. Even now, love shone from his face. He kissed her brow.

   "I would never dare Hades to make me eat my words."

   "You love her," Ares observed.

   "Aye, old friend."