Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Tenele reached up and touched her head. "I seem to have forgotten everything," Tenele sighed, looking around the palace. "We haven't figured out the cause, but it happened when we were looking for the Queen's cure. Hopefully it will be remedied very soon. Its frightening not knowing anything. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it."

[Soran Nightblade]

"I'm Ilya," she said politely. "We don't know each other well, but I know of you. I know this is rude to ask, but...your memory loss...your husband can't have caused it? He didn't....strike you or some awful thing? It's not proper for us to tolerate such things, even from those we care about."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele blinked at her. "No..." she said hesitantly. "I don't think so. I mean, I don't... No. No he didn't." Tenele nodded firmly. "He wouldn't do that."

[Soran Nightblade]

She hesitated in her stride. "I know it's not my place to say... but your husband... if he can strike a priest, I can't imagine it's beyond him to strike a woman. As a woman of the court, it pains me to see someone of such high reputation be pulled into such scandal."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele pursed her lips together, frowning. She thought back to what Vlad had admitted to down in the dungeon. She thought about how guilty he felt for the things that had happened to her because of her memory loss. Tenele's breath grew a little more shallow. She shook her head.

Her gaze fluttered to the woman. "He promised," Tenele whispered. "He wouldn't betray me. He didn't hurt me. I lost it some other way. A curse or a plant or an accident."

[Soran Nightblade]

She nodded slowly. "You know him far better than I..." she conceded. But Lady Raider, if your memories are truly gone, perhaps you should pursue a different path this time. Vlad is the menace of Sinead's courts. He lacks respect for the nobles, and flies in teh face of our values and rules. You were held in the highest status and honor in the courts, before your relationship with him made you infamous. We all lost touch with you...we lost any way to help you. For him to sully you...and even claim to marry you...and he even took your brother, the finest General in Sinead's army, and turned him into a monster as well. He ruined Sir Raider's reputation, as surely as he's ruined yours." She paused as she got to Tenele's door and gestured to it. "Love is very strong...but if we have the choice, we must choose the path that will give us the best future. God knows....if I could start over," she looked to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm being so rude. I just...I always looked up to you as a child, and I would love to be friends."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele listened to the woman, looking over the door. "I... I don't know what I should do," she admitted to her. "I have a child with him. It is not so easy to start over. I feel like I should at least try to make it work, and if my memories do come back... Then, I won't have to worry about it so much." Tenele smiled softly at the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But, I appreciate your advice. I would love to be friends. Somehow I get the impression I don't have very many of them. I do hope your wrong about him, though..."

[Soran Nightblade]

Ilya looked at her hand with excitement, like she was meeting a celebrity. "I'd like that," she beamed. "Please be careful. Any father could raise a child better than a vampire." She turned and waved as she departed.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele watched the girl wander off before she entered her home. She examined the room slowly. There was a nice sitting room that had two doors branching off of it. One to Tenara's room, and one to the room she must have shared with Vlad.

She went to it first. Tenele admired the neatly made bed, the dresser and wardrobe and mirror. So this was the room she shared with him.

Tenele went to the bed and sat at the foot of it. She ran her hands over the covers and tried to imagine what it was like to be married to him.

What if what that woman said was true?

After witnessing his violent outburst at the priest, she could imagine it very easily. What if she angered him? He was lonely and missing that man and he'd been tortured. What if he wasn't sane anymore, if he had ever been sane before? Tenele put her head in her hands. Why did this have to be so hard? She really, desperately needed to trust him...

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad walked out of the dungeons. For the first time since Learning Sinead was sick, he felt like things might be okay. He found himself ready to aim for Tenara's room, but he changed course instead. He walked down the hall that had given him so much trouble recently, where the chapel broke off beside Sinead's throne room. A few nobles were walking down the hall, and as soon as they spotted Vlad approaching the chapel, they hugged the opposite will like an alligator was coming.

Vlad ignored them, went to the study door, and knocked.

"Come in," the priest called, his voice stiff.

Vlad pushed the door open and glanced in. "May I enter?" he said.

The priest stared at him nervously. "Has your mood improved?"

Vlad walked in slowly, for the man's sake, and took a seat opposite his desk. Everything had been returned to its normal position in the room, and other than a bit of bandage showing over the priest's shoulder, he looked okay as well. "I came to...apologize," he said, as if the term was unfamiliar to him.

"I don't understand what could have possessed you to do such a thing," the priest said, anger prickling his voice. "I have always shown you understanding and aimed to be kind. I helped unite you with your wife."

"I wasn't seeing you," Vlad said quietly. "The moment I was pinned on my back, I was somewhere else, with someone else."

"Because you were on your back?" the priest asked in disbelief. "Who could be that bad?"

"I was detained, for four months, in a facility in the north continent. THe man who created me injected me with constant, rising doses of holy water, incrementally weakening me until I nearly lost my sanity and my life. I was helpless, and angry, and terrified. I am still terrified."

He stood up slowly. "I've told this to no one else. You can do with that information whatever you want. I wanted you to know that I appreciate your help with the ring....and that I'm sorry I lost my focus."

"Thar forgives, Lord Dracul," he said slowly, still in disbelief at the apology. "So will I."

The vampire reappeared by Talon's tower and let himself in. He got hold of some servants, who seemed less terrified than he'd feared, and sent them to Tenele's room to acquire his things.

A maid tapped on the door outside Tenele's bedroom. "My lady?" she called.

Vlad nodded, and was gone.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele went to the door, opening it up for the young maid. She was confused at first by her presence. She looked around and then looked inside her empty room. "I didn't call for maids," she whispered to them. "I'm sorry."

[Soran Nightblade]

She smiled and gave her a small curtsy. "I'm here on the Lord's orders, my lady. I'm to bring his effects. Two other girls are helping me." She walked to the wardrobe and began drawing clothes from the drawer into a large crate she'd brought.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele blinked and watched them pack his clothes away for transport. "I don't understand," Tenele whispered. "We're married. Why is he moving his things out?"

[Soran Nightblade]

The girl turned to look at her. "I don't know, my lady. He said he thought you would prefer some privacy, while you're recovering."

[Emora Deen]

"Oh," Tenele whispered. Maybe that was best. "Okay. I guess that makes sense." Tenele stepped back and let them collect his personal items and clothes. There was something very sad about watching it.