Adrian was slowly starting to feel at home with Delia and his children, without even knowing what caused this change or even what exactly the change was about.
He loved the girl and wanted to support and protect her, but he had known that for a long time. He had a second son now, but why would that be any different than the first?

He supposed it could be something about the house itself, how it always smelled of flowers and felt full of love. Delia clearly adored her children and was happy to have them, no matter anything else, and her parents might have made mistakes in their lives, but they were not afraid to show their love for their family and for each other.
It might have been much smaller and poorer than the mansion, but to Adrian Delia's house felt warm and bright, full of life and joy.

He even felt more welcome there. At the mansion Lady Leandra was still grieving, wrapped up in her sorrow so tight she almost didn't need black gowns. She never made two steps without her daughter, but it was as if everyone else was a ghost or less than a ghost to Leandra.
When Edric showed off his school results, Adrian felt more relevant and wanted than he had in a long time. He felt like a father and the feeling was somehow stronger with Edric and Lucien than it had ever been with Desmond. Or even Tristan, if Anna's boy was really his rather than Damien's.

Or maybe the real reason was simply age.
Adrian would never admit to feeling old, despite his now grey hair, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that he wouldn't live forever. Anna had been so full of life and joy and if she could die so suddenly... and she did have a family of her own. What exactly did Adrian have, what legacy would he leave if not his two sons? It was this thought that was bothering him the most.
And it was this thought, the need to have something and someone warm every day for the rest of his life, the desire to have a legacy, that made him propose to Delia.

The girl reached for the ring slowly, almost as if she were afraid it would be snatched out of her reach again.
"Are you... are you sure?" She asked, her voice choked with emotion. Adrian's couldn't really tell which one.
"Yes." He said firmly. "I love you, remember? I promised to take care of you and the boys and I want to do it properly."
She hesitated for another moment, her eyes darting between him and the ring. And then her face brightened with pure as she finally allowed herself to believe it was really happening. She threw herself around his neck, too happy to even speak.

The following days and weeks were even happier that those before. A new home for their family was being built, Delia was still beside herself with joy and even Alysanne seemed more open to Adrian than ever before. She smiled when he played with little Lucien and it was as if she was finally accepting him fully.

But as the days passed, Adrian became more and more reluctant to do anything that would change this life, this happiness and warmth. Yes, he wanted to marry Delia and claim his sons, but... as the new mansion was nearing its completion Adrian was growing worried what life there would really be like. Delia and especially Edric was looking forward to their new lives as nobility, but Adrian didn't want to bring them to another cold house and watch them wither like Leandra and all the Lorimers he had known.
He just didn't want to risk their happiness, but by his inaction he broke something anyway.
Lucien was growing fast, but soon Adrian couldn't even enjoy the progress his baby son was making without noticing Alysanne's disapproving looks. She never came out and said anything and Delia probably never noticed, but once he had known something else, her distance was all too clear to Adrian. By the time Lucien's birthday came along, she was glaring at him from across the room and Adrian was unable to meet her gaze.

Adrian finally had put his feelings of uncertainty away, telling himself there was no way the new house would become the new Lorimer manor. And when he was standing in the church with Delia and looking into her face, all shining with pure joy, he felt almost sure.
Not everyone was as happy, though. Tristan would laugh out loud if he wasn't so disgusted with the whole thing. Here he was, being pushed aside for some other children, as if they were any more important. It was just so unfair. He was Adrian's oldest surviving son, if anyone should be moving into a whole new mansion, it should be him.
"This is such a joke." He murmured to his foster father. He wanted to continue and say there was nothing better about Delia than about his own family and she had no right to become a lady when he himself wasn't seen as nobility, but them he caught a glimpse of Alysanne glaring at him. He scowled at her right back, but stayed quiet, determined to give them all a piece of his mind later.

Tristan didn't even know Delia was to become not only a lady of a beautiful new manor, but in part of the whole valley as well. The land had theoretically belonged to the Lorimers, but was too untamed and too close to the border to be worth their efforts to cultivate it. Until now, when it was given to Adrian to keep for them, half as a wedding gift and half as a means to keep him and his children away and help ensure Nadine would be safe in her own inheritance.
Immediately after the wedding Adrian moved Delia and the boys to the new manor and started setting up his new family and life in there. The sun was shining and their future looked as bright as it possibly could.

Delia was ecstatic, not only from having a proper family and a beautiful home, but also from her new position. Nobody could dare insult her or her sons now and after all the years of listening to her mother's worries and lectures, the sense of freedom was overwhelming. Even just going to the marketplace in her pretty new dress was a great feeling.
Until one day she saw Marcus and everything she had thought she had forgotten came rushing back. All her anger, the humiliation of being forced to beg him, of even considering marrying him. Especially as she saw him watching another girl with the same expression he used to have when he watched her back then.

Delia raised her head high and strolled to the market stall near Marcus, waiting for him to notice her and her new dress and status. She didn't really know what reaction she wanted, but she wanted him to react somehow.
"That's not fine enough. Do you have any better fabric? Anything more expensive?" She asked the stall keeper, her voice higher and more shrill than usual, her eyes fixed on Marcus.
The young woman replied something, but Delia didn't even hear what. She watched as Marcus turned and his face hardened in obvious disdain. She took a step towards him, raising her chin even higher and meeting his scorn with her own.

Marcus didn't even flinch from her stare. There was no shock, no regret, no hint of apology. Delia could already feel her fists clenching when Marcus returned her hard glare and when he turned away from her and walked away something snapped in her. She would not be ignored in this way, not any more, never again.
"What are you looking at? Is there something you want to tell me? Are you ready to greet me politely as a lady, or do you still want to insult my reputation?" She snapped at him.
Marcus turned with a startled expression on his face and Delia smirked. She had marched up to him while his back was turned, but was there also just a slightest hint of fear of her new social standing?

"Well? Are you going to say anything?" She didn't even realise she was channelling the few times she had seen lady Ellara speak with anyone beneath her.
Marcus just stared at her in shock. For a while he looked like he was going to snap something back at her and part of Delia wanted him to. Just let him dig himself deeper and then reap the consequences.
"You think you are a lady, but..." Marcus started to say, his voice less sure than he would like it to be.
Delia no longer wanted to hear what he had to say. There was no point in it... and her new confidence was too fragile yet. She raised her hand and slapped Marcus across the face to shut him up, and then again just for the satisfaction it gave her.

"You... can't..." Marcus stammered, eyes wide in disbelief. "I'll..."
"You'll do what? Complain to Lord Adrian? Or Lady Leandra, do you really think she would care about you?" She asked viciously. Only after the words were out of her mouth did she realise what she was saying and what it could mean for her if she were wrong. She hid her sudden fear with a frown.
Whatever her own feelings were, Marcus believed her, at least at that moment. He looked like he wanted to cry and just watching his face gave Delia great satisfaction.

With his sister safely married, Devin felt he could finally stop worrying about her and live his own life.
The more time he spent with Katharyn the more he thought he understood Delia on some level. He felt he had met his kindred soul and every time they were together life was brighter and much easier. And what made him even happier was that Katharyn shared his feelings. She had a huge and loving heart and she may have been shy at the beginning, but once reassured, she showed her devotion with surprising enthusiasm.

At nights, Devin spent more and more time studying the stars. His life felt full of light and beautiful just like the night sky and it was when watching the stars that Devin could the best imagine all his dreams as well as things he would normally not dare even dream of. At those moments, he could believe his life to be wide, almost limitless, rather than constrained by his place in society and the expectations on him.

He was dreaming of wide horizons and unexpected opportunities and something unexpected was indeed to happen to him.
At first it seemed like an especially bright star, one Devin had never seen before, and so beautiful it was almost mesmerising. He stared at it in awe and didn't even notice it was growing larger and much brighter, until it was almost blinding.
It was beautiful and all Devin wanted to do was look at it. It was drawing him in...
And then everything went black.

He woke up on the ground, with a splitting headache and only faint recollections of what had happened. He touched his head carefully, but before he could try make some sense of everything, a voice broke the silence.
"Devin! Thank the Watcher you're all right! Are you all right? Where have you been, what happened to you?" Alysanne's voice was shrill fear.

Devin started to get up, looking around him. He could remember the light, trying to find what star it was, but he was far from his star-chart...
"Devin?" His mother was kneeling by him now and feeling his hands. Only now he realised how cold he felt. "You're like ice. What happened to you? I have never seen such fog before, is it..."
"I'm fine." Devin said, maybe harsher than he wanted to. He needed time to piece it all together and he couldn't do that with his mother demanding explanations. "I... think I just fell asleep. I'm fine."
Alysanne didn't look convinced, but she finally agreed to go back inside, to cook him something warm to eat. Devin stayed for a while, looking around the strange blue fog, a faint echo of laughing voices ringing in his ears. A memory, maybe? All he knew was, that something was... maybe not exactly wrong, but certainly different about him.

Lady Leandra still wasn't fully used to her new situation. Still in mourning, lonely in the mansion that had never felt fully hers and now probably never would, she still saw memories of her husband everywhere.
She had still not recovered from the time she had met the Grim Reaper face to face and tried to unsuccessfully plead with him. She had never expected to see that dark cloak outside of her nightmares ever again before her own death. But there he was one morning, just as looming and cold, threatening to take her baby daughter. Threatening to take the only joy she had left in life.

Once again she fell on her knees, too shocked and frightened to even know what she was saying, unsure if she was actually speaking at all.
Either way, the Grim Reaper seemed to understand, because he motioned for her to stand up and offered up his two bony hands to her. Leandra obeyed almost without noticing it. Everything was in a haze and nothing seemed real except those two fists. She reached out automatically, almost touched the one nearer to her, but then she drew back again. The last awful time was still too strong in her mind.
She had no idea for how long she stood frozen like that, it felt like forever, but she supposed maybe no time had passed at all. Then she heard a voice inside her mind, telling her to either choose or to forfeit her chance.
With her eyes closed and her hand trembling, she reached blindly out until she touched one of those terrible fists.

She could feel the fist slowly opening and see the light shining from it despite her closed eyes. Hope flared up in her heart despite everything and Leandra pushed it back again, too afraid to hope, too afraid to even think.
Only when she heard the voice in her head again did she open her eyes. "Very well. Your daughter will be returned to you." At first she couldn't really believe it. Her head was spinning, her vision blurry even after she opened her eyes. Even when she watched her daughter's spirit floating up and back into her little body she still wasn't able to move or react in any other way.

Only later, when Nadine woke up and started demanding attention, was Leandra able to fully realise she had her baby back, and only when she held her in her arms again did he relief come. It felt so good and peaceful Leandra never wanted to put her down again.

Tristan, meanwhile, was practising his sword skills. Becoming a knight was still the vision that pushed him forward, something that would make everyone respect and admire him. With a sword in hand he felt strong and confident, even if it was a practice wooden one. He would get a real one soon. And with a sword in hand, working out so hard he was covered in sweat after only a while, it was easy to believe that was all it took, all that really mattered to really become a knight. To believe that the stupid school didn't come into it at all.

When ignoring school, though, life was good. Adrian was around often enough that Tristan felt special. After all, he was his oldest son and that had to mean a bright future for him, especially when Desmond was dead. He invited Tiriel to meet his father - both Adrian and Damien, in fact - in one more attempt to impress her. And, somehow, it seemed to work.
Suddenly Tiriel was there, visiting almost every time Tristan invited her, playing darts with them, accepting Adrian's compliments and chatting happily.

There was only one possible thing that could be in Tristan's way. Or rather, one possible person. Devin, his annoying cousin, joined them far too often, trailing after Tiriel like a lovestruck puppy. Tristan tried to tell himself there was no way the lovely, confident girl would choose Devin rather than him, but at the back of his mind he still couldn't keep wondering. After all, she had chosen his stupid cousin once already.

He watched Devin and Tiriel nervously, trying to guess how close they were. Were they friends already? Were they perhaps more than friends, however unlike his dull cousin it would be?
His fears were confirmed when he saw the two of them holding hands, Tiriel all dreamy eyed and Devin grinning like a lovestruck fool. He pretended not to see them, but inside he was full of jealous rage.

After that, Tristan couldn't really take it any more. Every time Devin and Tiriel were even remotely near each other, he felt like he wanted to scream. Even when they weren't actually interacting at the moment, what mattered was that they could. What mattered was that they were obviously at ease and comfortable around each other.
He turned the full extent of his charm on Tiriel, using everything his father had taught him. He assaulted her with compliments, dazzled her with his sword skills and the great future before him.

And this time, finally, it worked. Suddenly Tiriel finally saw how good-looking he was and responded to his charm and all his other gifts.
Finally, everything was as it should be.

After Tiriel finally started showing interest in him, everything went smoothly and fast. Tristan took her on dates all around the village, usually staying out long after dark. At night the village was quiet and it felt like it all belonged to them. And unlike his slow cousin, Tristan's wasn't one to leave any opportunity unused.
When he surprised her with a kiss one night, she seemed overwhelmed at first, but she didn't resist and afterwards he could see she looked at him differently.

It was like the confident, adventurous girl became someone completely else once Tristan started pushing their relationship further. Suddenly she was shy and rather sweet, in love and rather unsure about it. She wouldn't say it in so many words, but Tristan was almost sure he was her first love, the one who tamed her. And he loved it.
The way she was looking at him, and how she blushed and looked away when he caught her, was making him feel like a king. It felt great to be almost worshipped in this way rather than having to pursue the girl himself. She even brought him flowers, leaving them by his door after dark and them disappearing again before being seen.

Not that everything was just shy and sweet, though. As long as he made the first steps Tiriel was learning fast. He wasn't sure whether she was simply lovestruck and wanted to please him or whether it was the active, adventurous Tiriel shining through, but he didn't really care about the reason. What was important to him was the action itself, that their nights together continued and each was hotter and more fun than the last.

While Tristan was enjoying himself, however, a tragedy was waiting just around the corner.
With two almost grown children Anna had not really expected to have another one, especially after her last miscarriage. When she begun to feel ill in the morning again, it took her long to even suspect she might be pregnant again. And even when she realised the possibility, her feelings about what it would mean were too conflicted for her to truly consider it.
She never told anybody else and went through the next weeks in half-ignorance, until the pain came.

Anna recognised the feeling that something was wrong and went pale, all the terrible memories rushing back. She broke down in tears, too overwhelmed by the pain and shock to do anything at the moment, to even think.
And there was so much blood...
Before Anna could realise this was much worse, much more serious than last time, she was too weak to do anything about it. She only managed one weak cry for help before she collapsed.

When she came to, Damien was bending over her, his face all scared, babbling something barely coherent. She could catch questions if she was all right, promises she will be fine, more questions and promises to help, all the while she was lying on the cold ground in pain and her husband wasn't really doing anything useful.
He helped her stand up and looked at her like a lost puppy without a master. "Can I...?" He started asking once again.
Anna didn't even know where she found the strength to scream at him. "Find a doctor... a healer... someone... even Alysanne, NOW!"

Then her vision clouded again and she only barely felt that Damien caught her before she could fall and helped her to her bed. Her last thought before she lost consciousness again was that she hoped he would finally stop hovering around her and hurry. She was feeling weaker with every moment.
She died early in the morning, before Damien could get back with any help that could be found in the village.

Damien decided to bury Anna near his father rather than in the village graveyard. They had lived free and he refused to chain his wife to the church after her death.
What was originally supposed to be a small family ceremony grew larger when more family came than originally expected. Alysanne came with her whole family, looking heartbroken for someone she barely knew. And there was Adrian, looking way older and more somber than Damien ever remembered him, as if Anna's death reminded him of his own mortality.

But when the small family returned from the funeral, life seemed to go on for the rest of them in a way young Elena couldn't understand. Her mother had just been taken away from her, completely without warning, and nobody else seemed to care. Her father seemed even more ignorant if anything, lost in his own thoughts and often disappearing into the woods for whole days. And Tristan didn't change his behaviour at all except looking bored. Even when Elena gathered her courage to ask him directly when they were once again alone in the house, he denied ever missing his mother or feeling anything at all.

Elena tried to tell herself he had just wanted to hurt her, but there were times it was just too much to bear for her. She felt like she was the only one grieving, completely alone with no one to comfort her.

Delia just wanted to forget Marcus and the whole courting fiasco and move on, but he wasn't going to let her go that easily. He made it clear he didn't want her back, but still he kept coming just to show off his righteous anger and remind her nobody else would ever marry her. It would be driving her mad if it wasn't so exhausting.
And Delia just didn't see the point. She tried to be sorry for losing him, even feel guilty like her mother wanted her to, but she just couldn't help being glad to be rid of him. He was a bore, she didn't really need him, not with her white knight taking care of her, and being finally able to tell him just that felt great.

Adrian, her white knight, was attentive as ever, both gentle and passionate, and he filled all the empty places that remained in her life. The longer their affair lasted, the more at ease they both were, until they felt almost invincible. Life was good and easy, even with a small baby requiring attention. They just started meeting at Delia's house more often, to stay close to their son, and after a while even Delia's fearful parents stopped trying to stop them.

Devin remained the only one who complained: "Are you sure it's a good idea? That it's safe? I mean..."
"Stop whining already! What could happen?"
Devin could list many things, but it was clear his sister, lost in her fantasy romance, didn't want to hear any of them. In the end he settled for the most obvious danger: "If lady Ellara ever found out you would..."
"She won't!" Delia snapped back. "And even if she did, what would she do against her own husband?"

"Well..." Devin considered saying that it was lady Ellara who had political power in the area and it was her who was the scary one, but stopped under Adrian's glare. How do you tell a noble lord he wasn't scary or powerful enough?
There was a moment of silence and then Devin turned back to his sister. "And how do you plan to live? Who will support you?" He asked, trying hard to sound grown-up and responsible rather than like a whiny boy.
"I will, of course."
Devin turned back to Adrian, who was staring daggers at him. Devin involuntarily took a step back.
"Do you expect me to abandon my own son? What do you take me for? What gives you the authority to doubt me?"
Devin took another step back. He opened his mouth to reply, but found no words that would stand up to Adrian's anger. "I... I'm sorry..." He managed to stammer in the end.
Adrian just walked past him, not really acknowledging the apology, but at least he stopped glaring at Devin.

To be fair, Adrian really did at least try to help.
Devin's bad feeling didn't entirely go away, but what else he would have wanted he wasn't sure himself. Adrian brought them enough money to more than take care of the baby. Devin knew well enough he couldn't expect anything else, marriage would be out of the question even if lady Ellara wasn't alive, and the affair was far too public and official already.
Maybe this was what was worrying him so much. He felt that the anger of discovery was growing every day and his sister just didn't see it. He could see how much Delia wanted a family of her own, but somehow she wasn't able to see that could never happen with Adrian.
And that fear was something no amount of money or fresh venison, however good, could dispel.

And all this time little Edric kept growing and keeping his mother busy. He was a bright child, learning new words and making more and longer steps almost every day, and Delia was more than happy to guide him in everything.
As time passed, she was still content with her life, no matter the reservations the rest of her family had. She had a healthy child, she was in love, and she was happy with that.

The passing time wasn't as good to everyone, though.
Lady Ellara had been doing her best to hide her grey hair and wrinkles, but eventually it became clear even to her that she was just wasting time. Ellara hated not being beautiful anymore and the more she saw other, younger women, the more bitter she became. Her only son was dead, her husband was avoiding her... the only consolation she could find was that the new lady who ousted her from her rightful position wasn't any happier.
But even though she hated what her life had become, Ellara still couldn't imagine it could be almost over. Being old meant being tired, yes, it meant wrinkles and grey hair, but the concept of her own mortality was completely foreign to her until the dark figure of Grim Reaper himself stood before her.
And even then she was more shocked than frightened, unable to believe death could really apply to her.

She stood there frozen until a stern voice which seemed to come from inside her head changed her shock to anger. Her time wasn't yet up, couldn't be, and how dare anyone tell her otherwise.
NO!" She put all her righteous outrage into that one word, all her noble breeding and inborn right to command others. When the hooded figure didn't move away, she reached for the hourglass the Reaper was holding just before her eyes. She wasn't sure herself if she wanted to turn it around or simply throw it away so it wouldn't mock her anymore, but it didn't matter in the end. The Reaper appeared bony and frail, but she was unable to move him even a tiny bit.
The last thing she heard were the words "Nobody can cheat time and death. Now leave this world," echoing in her head just before everything went black.

The funeral was mostly quiet. Adrian wasn't sure whether he should feel sad or relieved or even what his role should be now that his wife was dead. And lady Leandra was clinging to her daughter, only half hearing the funeral speech. She still hadn't stopped wearing mourning for her deceased husband and found it hard to care about any other death, however much she may have wanted to.

Delia's life, meanwhile, went on without any visible changes. Her affair with Adrian had become a routine for everyone involved, to such a degree that it took months for anyone to even get the idea that Ellara's death might affect it somehow. Not that anyone knew what exactly should change and what was even possible.
Delia was mostly content, but then she started feeling ill in the mornings again.
When she told little Edric he was going to get a baby brother or sister, she tried to show and feel only joy. But no matter how much she looked forward to seeing the little one's face, there was still something in the back of her mind, telling her this wasn't how life was supposed to be. That it was one thing to love a baby born out of wedlock and quite another to have a family, with more children, without a husband.

When that feeling didn't go away after a few days, she finally gathered enough courage to tell Adrian, nervous it would break their life together. She was afraid he would be angry, maybe call her a demanding nag like he had so often called his lady wife. But instead he took her in his arms.
"I love you. You know that, right?"
Delia nodded, expecting the inevitable but...
"Then you have nothing to worry about. I will always take care of you and the children."

Soon after that Adrian took her shopping for baby clothes, fancy food and anything else she might need. Delia was so happy at the fact he was taking her somewhere in public she almost didn't hear him say how money was no problem.
That whole day she was almost floating with joy, imagining what the next steps might be. Adrian was clearly planning to make their relationship official, would he move her and Edric to the manor next?
She was so focused on her daydreams she even forgot to watch and enjoy the people in the marketplace. They might become part of her life later, she would be due some respect as Adrian's partner, but right now they were not really important.

But as time passed and Adrian made no further steps to formalise their relationship, Delia grew less sure of his intentions and her future. Edric's birthday came and went, the baby in her womb grew and still nothing happened.
Delia wasn't sure what exactly she was hoping for, what exactly she could expect. She only knew she wasn't content with silence any more, not when there would soon be a second child with an unclear status.

She loved Adrian, she trusted him, and he always knew how to calm her. It just didn't last as long as it had used to.
He invited her to the manor a few times, always half in secret and explained his love and difficult situation. She was heavily pregnant and Adrian swore he would always take care of her and her children, but he had to at least appear he was in mourning. And she always got lost in his eyes and said that she understood. She really did, at that time, while he was near her.
And when the doubts appeared again in a few weeks, she hated them and she hated herself. Anything to stop herself from hating him or his promises.

Her baby was born, a healthy boy who took her mind off everything else. He was much grumpier and more demanding than Edric had been, as if he felt he could have been born in comfort as nobility.

And life went on. Edric was going to school and doing reasonably well. Alysanne was more tan happy to help him with his studies and if Edric was dissatisfied with anything in his life, his family or the way other children treated him, he was keeping it to himself. Baby Lucien was healthy and growing every day.
Everything was well and Delia was doing her best to be happy or at least satisfied, even though her hope for a real family with the man she loved was almost completely gone by then.

At the same time, Devin was making a new friend. He had met Katharyn at the village market and felt immediately drawn to her. She wasn't as exotic as Tiriel, probably not even as beautiful, but it only took a while for them to feel they had known each other for a long time.
Katharyn was the oldest of five siblings and had grown up with her own share of family drama. Like Devin, she was used to be the quiet responsible one, always putting her own desires and feelings aside, but when she let herself relax for a moment, she was great fun to be around as well as a great and generous friend.
If it didn't feel so natural, so easy and pleasant, Devin would have wondered what she saw in him. She claimed to admire him, but Devin couldn't even imagine why.

He wasn't sure when exactly he started falling for Katharyn, when he stopped being in love with Tiriel or if he ever did. But he kept noticing her more every day, thinking about what they could do together. If that was love he wasn't sure, but did it matter?