Winter Storm

Diana falls into the heavy door of her dilapidated cabin. She kicks the ice off the edges and shoves her whole body into the door, this time on purpose, to get it open. Her eyes were blurred from the blinding white of the snow, and the swelling from the blows she took to the face just minutes earlier. She felt a pain in her leg and figured she should probably patch that up before taking off to a new town.

But that thought was interrupted by the man standing by her fireplace.

Her eyes locked on him and she froze. Emri turned to see her, with a smirk on his face. Instantly his expression was wiped from his face when he saw the look Diana bore. Her bruised face, fallen posture, and pained eyes shocked him.

"Of course they sent you." Diana broke the silence with a hushed voice. Pain seeping through every word. Emri remained silent, and only watched her as she limped over towards the mantle. "What does he want with me now? Information? Advice? To threaten me or accuse me of something he decided I did?" Tears were already beginning to brim her eyes. Seeing Emri only brought back the memories, and feelings from before. "But no, it must be important if they brought out the big guns. What does he want you to do? Manipulate my emotions to get me to do something he knows my morals, that he considers flaws, would never allow me to do?", she spat, "Well news flash! The emotions you would use against me are long gone, and died the day you-" she cut herself off. The tear she fought so hard fell down her cheek. They both knew neither of them had ever moved past that fateful day. Diana took four deep breaths and composed herself. "So what did he send you for?" Emri was silent for a moment.

"You were right about sending the big guns for an important job." Emri said now with no confidence in his voice or stance. A complete flip from the cocky attitude he had when she first arrived. Diana looked quizzically, until her gaze fell to the silver, Aldarian blade in Emri's belt.

"Oh." She said not with sadness, but anger. "Oh, of course. He would not send you for something so petty as information. He would only send you after me for something important. To make this 'poetic'." Soft tears slid down her cheeks as she never broke eye contact with Emri. Even with her words angry, she desperately searched his eyes for any sign of who he used to be. Who she knew he still was.

"Diana I-" Emri whispered, with a touch of compassion seeping through his words. But he cut himself off. What could I say? "I'll make this quick"? No. He thought. The would be savage. Not even sure if he could go through with his assignment anymore, he took a step towards her, reaching out his hand to catch her as she lost balance, despite the mantel she was using for balance.

"Don't." Diana said with such tension it immediately filled the room. "You lost the privilege of helping me long ago."

A moment of silent tension passed. Diana maintained her glare long enough to make Emri turn away in shame, which no one has ever managed before.

"He would only send you to kill me." Her voice thick with pain. After everything, the king sent Emri for this. Finally looking away from him and to the candle on her mantle, that she had meant to light, she stared at the wood. "I only ask that you are not cruel, Emri. My heart couldn't take that." She said quietly, and voice breaking. She looked back to him with new tears in her eyes, "Not from you."