you'll come back

Iolaire could see the shame on her former lover's features as realization struck her. The words that came out of Belle's mouth brought the smaller fae's ears tucking back against her skull as she shook her head. Shrugging out of her pack, the tri-colored fae crossed the distance between them and wasted no time in pulling Deathbelle into her embrace. Io wrapped her forelegs around the speckled woman's neck, pulling her in close, their foreheads pressed together.

She didn't know what time had done to Deathbelle, just like Deathbelle wouldn't know what time had done to her. It was clear as crystal though that they'd both been through the ringer. Perhaps the clearest thing that Iolaire had seen in quite some time. Time had done them wrong. They were older now. They had gone through experiences that had altered them irreparably. It showed in their appearance, in the way they held themselves.

"I promised long ago that I would always be there, and I wasn't," Io started, her tones a soft whisper. "I'm sorry for that." She had been swept up in Roan, in his loss, in her own insanity. If seeing the ghost of her former mate hadn't grounded her, seeing Deathbelle like this definitely did. As she held the woman close, she could feel the bones in her. She could feel just how much she'd let herself go.

A memory flashed in her mind. Sirius had mentioned something about hurting Deathbelle, but Io had been so twisted and turned in her own mind that she could barely remember it. So, in the end she softly asked, "What happened?" All the while gently stroking the former Empress' neck in soft, rhythmic motions.