FF: Two Worlds (Chapter 41: Worlds' Dilemma - Rosetta's Heart)

["Cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

-Two Worlds-
Cilia

Chapter 41: Worlds' Dilemma - Rosetta's Heart

Rosetta sat with her Darliana on her lap in front of the hearth. Night was
falling outside and difficult decisions had to be made.
"I do love you. You know that, don't you?" she asked the girl.
"Yes, I know. And I do love you, my Rose," Darliana answered with
tears forming in her gray eyes.
"This has to be done. Elisabeth deserves her Willow back, even if it
is only to break her heart," the red haired mage whispered.
"But... I don't want to lose you," Darliana whispered between sobs as she
hugged her lover.
"And I don't want to lose you, my love, but we must think of the other
players in this drama," she said as she kissed the girl's forehead.
"What's going to happen to us after the. curtain falls?" the girl asked.
"We'll go back to living our lives, together, and stay clear of the
Slayer and her loved one," Rosetta answered.
"Do you remember... loving her?"
"Flashes mostly, but they are Willow's memories, not mine," the mage
explained.
"I... would let you go... you know that." Darliana stated. "I wouldn't
like it, but I would."
"I wouldn't go. You've helped me find my heart again and-" Rosetta was
silenced by a searing kiss from her love that last for a long while. The
only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire in the hearth.
"I don't deserve you," the blond breathed when they broke apart.
"Oh, Darla, your past... is the past. It doesn't bother me, you are a
strong person to have survived," Rosetta said looking the girl firmly in the
eye.
"But, before you came. I was... without shame. I didn't care about whom I
shared my bed with, but you-"
"I was once like that, but you made me take a long look into my soul
and I didn't like what I saw there," Rosetta said as she stroked Darliana's
cheek slowly.
"Lets take a walk together," Darliana suggested and slid off her lovers
lap.
"Where to you want to go?" Rosetta asked as she stood up and smoothed out
the wrinkles in her dress.
"Anywhere, lets go up on the city walls and look over the sea like we did
when you first came here," she suggested as she wrapped a white shawl around
her shoulders. Rosetta smiled.

Walking along the wall, they reveled in the gentle breeze coming from the
sea. Rosetta wrapped an arm around Darliana's shoulder, and with a smile
pulled her closer. As they walked, they came upon a young man leaning over
the wall, looking out over the sea. They could clearly see the longing in
his eyes.
"He looks so sad," Darliana said.
"No, he looks in love," Rosetta corrected.
"Um, hello... I'm right here and I can hear you," the man said, "The
name is Grimm, by the way," he finished, turning his head to look at them.
"And you used to be Willow," he added.
"I apologize, but, I don't remember you," Rosetta said as they stepped up
next to him.
"It doesn't really matter, I guess. We didn't talk that much anyway,"
Grimm answered.
"Who is across the sea?" Darliana asked in a low voice.
"What? Oh, Piratess, my... ast'one, I guess you could say," he said with
proud smile.
"The Queen of the Drow, you are a Royal then?" Rosetta asked.
"No, no, no. I wouldn't fit in with that bunch. I'm just a thief that got
tricked by a ranger into fighting a war and fell in love," Grimm explained
with an ironic chuckle.
"You are no thief," Rosetta said. "I know a scholar when I see one."
"Well..." Grimm said as he handed her small knife back to her. "I'm
a bit of both."
"That's a good way to get yourself hurt, you know," Rosetta said as
she did a quick check of her possessions.
"It shuts people up, though," the thief said with a grin.
"Why are you here?" Darliana asked seeming interested in the young thief.
"I came here with Beth... kind of out of sense of duty and the need to
prove myself... it isn't easy courting a queen when you're a lowly commander
and thief," he answered.
Darliana cocked her head with an enigmatic smile gracing her lips. "You'll
do fine," she said with a wink.
"Yeah. I guess I will," he said with a smile. "Thanks,"
Leaving the young thief to his thoughts, the pair walked on, alternating
between looking at the sea and each other.
"You shouldn't influence people like that," Rosetta said quietly.
"He needed hope," Darliana answered meekly. "I just gave him some."
"What else did you see in him?" the mage asked.
"Great promise, a crown of silver, and... a sword on his shoulder,
but before that, many battles," she answered with her small smile. "He will
do fine," she affirmed.
They shared tender moments together, strolling along, chatting about
this or that before Rosetta turned serious, "It's almost time," she said
slowly, looking up at the moons.
"Time for Willow's Return," Darliana said dramatically as they
turned to walk back towards the Mage Guild and the waiting Avatar. Stepping
through the gardens they saw the Avatar waiting at the reflecting pool, on
the side of the pool, the Slayer was perched and next to her stood a tall
dark haired man with blue eyes that looked determined to see things through.
In the shadows of a nearby tree stood the Ranger, her arms wrapped around
herself as if cold. Rosetta took a long look at Darliana and then leaned
over to kiss her long and hard.
"I will always cherish what we had," she said firmly holding her
tight. "No matter what happens here tonight."
"I know," Darliana whispered as she let go of her and watched the
mage walked up to the Avatar ready to set things right once and for all.

Darliana joined the Ranger under the tree without a sound. The Ranger
glanced down at her before turning her eyes to the group by the pool.
"We are both at risk of losing," Darliana said in her low voice.
"That we are..." the Ranger muttered, "That... we are."
The Avatar carefully explained to all present, what she was about to do.
Using her knowledge and her connection to the higher planes, she was going
to summon Willow's soul and then cleave it from Rosetta using her ethereal
fire. The risk was that she might not make connection and that Rosetta's
soul would be cleaved in half, or that she would kill either Rosetta or
Willow's immortal soul. After the speech was done, Rosetta looked the avatar
in the eye, she had her flaming sword in hand and fire was visible in her
eyes.
"I am ready," she said and spread her arms wide. "Make it swift."
"This. will hurt," Joyce said raising her sword as the fire turned a
brilliant white.
"I know," Rosetta whispered with a smile as the blade fell towards
her. Buffy whimpered and hid her face in Spike's chest and he turned his
gaze away. Darliana clamped her eyes tightly together as the blade struck
the mage with a blinding white light. Only Cordelia watched the sword pass
through the mage. When the flash dissipated, two beings lay on the grass to
the each side of the sword that was now embedded in the earth.

To be continued in Worlds' Dilemma - Willow's Return...