Introductions

Silver burst through the door of Sage's home like a battering ram. The place was neat as always, with the lovely wall murals and fine objects making it feel more like a palace than a one room cabin.

He scanned the room for the briefest moment, but his heart stopped as his gaze alighted on Sage. The beautiful woman lay still on the bed. For a moment, he thought that Hanna had tricked him, that Sage was actually dead.

But then she took in a soft breath, and he realized that she was actually sleeping peacefully. He stared in wonder at her, his eyes wanting to believe what he saw. 'Do not be creepy,' he reminded himself. 'Go get Hanna or Lily and return when she is awake.' Backing away slowly, Silver retreated to the door.

"Where are you going?" a voice called softly from the bed.

Silver froze, unsure if he'd actually heard the question. Then Sage's eyes fluttered open and her smooth lips smiled gently at him. Relief flooded the Guardian to see the color had returned to her cheeks.

"I don't want to disturb you," Silver said, pulling up a chair alongside the bed in spite of his words. "You need to rest." He took her hand and lifted it to his mouth. It disappeared inside his hood as he kissed it softly.

"I want to be disturbed," Sage responded with a hint of amusement. She shifted slightly and winced. Her fingers tensed in the Guardian's hand. "If anything, the distraction will take my mind off all this weird tingling."

Silver chuckled softly. He remembered the discomfort all too well. "That will go away eventually. Your body is just getting used to its new…form." Silver wasn't sure how to describe it. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened himself.

The brunette squinted at him as she touched her temple. "And what about this splitting headache from seeing the history of the world?"

Silver grabbed a cloth, wetted it and placed it on her forehead. "Brutal, isn't it? It is like you can feel all the joy and pain of the ages all at once. There really should be a warning beforehand."

"Absolutely!" Sage's face darkened. "She showed me your story too." Each Guardian received a slightly different recounting of events, with overarching themes taking the place of individual stories. At least that was how Silver believed it worked. For Hanna to have shown Silver's story, she must have had a reason.

The silver-eyed man had already decided to tell Sage about his past, but it seemed the Fate had beat him to it. Somehow, he was relieved. "Then you know what a hopeless, unlovable case I am," he half-joked.

Sage's brow furrowed as she reached for his hidden face. "I know what a brave, kind and faithful man you are," she corrected him.

A wane smile formed on his lips. 'Not words I would use to describe myself.' Though he had to admit that he was not displeased by her summary.

"Thank you," he responded and let the matter drop.

Nearby a glowing vial lay on the kitchen table, casting a strange light in the curtained room. "I see you have a vial of your own now. Are you going to sell it to make a fortune?" His lips curled as he remembered her words just after they first met.

Sage laughed and then gripped her side as more tingling ran through her body. "No, no. I have learned my lesson. That stuff is far too potent for the public." She struggled to sit up, and the dutiful nursemaid forced her back on the lacy pillows. The woman relented and closed her eyes for a moment. Silver considered leaving her to rest, but he felt like she was merely collecting her thoughts.

"I suppose the best thing about getting a second chance is getting to right your wrongs," Sage mused. "And I have…many. So I shall start with you, since you were so good as to come to me. I am sorry," she apologized. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for pushing you, taunting you, lying to you, tricking you and betraying you. I have never been good about showing others I care, and I have done a particularly abominable job with you."

"I did not come for an apology," the man assured her.

"I know." Sage sighed, "but you deserve one. All of you do for the things I have put you through."

"All is forgiven." Silver grasped her hand again. His eyes flashed from beneath his hood. "I'm sorry too. Sorry for turning you into this. I could think of no other way to save you."

Sage screwed up her face, deep in concentration. "So..." she said at last, "I'm a Guardian." Her words were neutral, but there was a hint of question in them.

Silver nodded slowly. "Yes," he told her, "I hope you won't hate me for it."

Sage laughed and winced, her head pounding. She inhaled through her nose with her eyes shut and continued. "How could I hate the man who saved me and showed me I could care about someone beyond myself? My heart's been shut off a long time, my love, perhaps always. I could never hate you."

'My love?' Silver was caught by her words.

"Did you just say you loved me?" He cocked his head to one side curiously.

Sage realized her slip and started to speak many times before snapping her mouth shut. "Yes," she finally answered. "I love you. That is, as much as my broken self knows how."

The woman blushed heavily. She had never admitted love to anyone, not even her own parents. Up until recently, she had not even believed herself capable of the action.

"I love you too." Silver admitted before she could take back her words. "I knew it somewhere deep inside before, but the moment Borit struck you, I realized that I did not want to be in a world without you in it."

"I admit trying to stab him was a bit rash. In my mind I saw that going a tad differently." The woman fluttered her eyelashes and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"You tried to save me; that's what counts." The man assured her.

"Is there a prize for that?" she teased, looking into the black void of her companion's hood.

Silver raised his eyebrows curiously. "What prize would you like?"

"I would like to see the face of the man I love." Sage opened her eyes wide and pouted, making her request that much more endearing to her companion.

'I was hoping you would ask.' Aloud Silver spoke evenly, "That seems fair."

The man's fingers raced along the edge of the back fabric as his hood fell to his shoulders. With an inherent light, Silver's eyes glowed in the dimly lit room. Sage was astonished by his perfect tan skin and dark head of hair. He was even more handsome than she imagined.

When he smiled at her, her heart skipped a beat or two—but that could have just been the continuing effects of the glowing vial. Most striking by far was the uncanny lightning contained within his irises. "Your eyes are actually silver," she said with wonder.

"Yours are too now, I'm afraid. I'll miss the brown." He told her honestly.

Her eyes widened slightly and she turned her lips into a fake pout. "Does that mean I should change my name to Silver?"

"No, the world only has enough room for one Silver, but perhaps you would like me to call you Princess." He tilted his head meaningfully. Sage knew it was time to come clean.

The brunette shook her head. "I am not a princess, though I came dangerously close to becoming one. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Lady Saigera, daughter of Lord Artrau of Lakyle." She arched her brow and looked down her nose at Silver.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady." Silver bowed from his seat. "It seems neither of us uses the name we were given. But you already knew that if you saw my story. I shall herby make it official. I am Sean of Marek."

"Nice to meet you, Sean." Sage relaxed. It was wonderful to finally be honest. "If it's all the same to you, I will continue to call you Silver...if only for the sake of your secret identity."

"I would appreciate that. I will keep calling you Sage for the same reasons." He ran his finger along the contour of her cheek. "I am glad you are alright." Seeing her stare quietly at him, he chanced to lean toward her.

There was a knock at the door. "May I please come in? You've hogged her long enough!" Lily's voice could be heard through the wood.

Silver leaned back with an apologetic grin. "I'll come back and check on you soon."

"You better or I'll hunt you down. You know I can now." Sage winked at him.

'Yes, that's not concerning at all.'

"I promise I'll see you soon." Silver squeezed her hand and donned his hood before answering the door. Admitting Lily, Silver slipped out the door and into the shadows of the deepening night.