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Away

Part one of three

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by Adagiodajiang

Alyssa sighed, levelling the bowgun, which was a lighter, adapted weapon that she had purchased from Keoshi. Technically, it was a crossbow, but she had a different centre of balance than an anthro like Keoshi or even Sandor, so it needed to be adapted for her strength and different manner of holding it. Therefore, the bowgun had been born, invented, in a way, just for Alyssa. The doe-taur had been glad that Keoshi had been willing to work with her, but it was not something that she, quite honestly, looked forward at all to having to use.

Still, it was not a very positive world that they lived in, especially where mages like Sandor were concerned...

She did rather like the explosive arrows that he had recommended to her, after they had determined that melee weapons were not best suited to her for close-combat.

"These arrows," the black and white fox had explained, "are better than others sold by the merchants in town - and that is not simply coming from me. I have spent months crafting the style of these, specifically for the explosive range. I wouldn't give you anything less than the quality that you deserve to keep you safe, Alyssa."

At least, with Keoshi, she could rest assured that she had a friend - and that was something that Alyssa had not had for a long time, even if she would have called Sandor her best friend. He had always been the one that she was the closest too, though she knew too that she needed others in her life, needed to expand her range. That had become clear on their journey to the new town, trying to set down roots and move forward from there.

The bowgun too offered her the opportunity to accompany Sandor in his magical studies too, learning to apply spells that were already fixed to an object to the bowgun, sometimes in the form of a small attachment and at other times as a paste. She could be useful, with weapons, though Alyssa understood there was more to her life and existence than being useful.

However, things changed. Her relationship was...different with Sandor. The white fox was the same in some ways, but there was a sense that something had changed about him, not talking to her as much as before, as if he was not interested in her anymore. Sometimes, he didn't even come to bed at all, though Alyssa tried not to show him that she was hurt by it.

She knew that the fox had his reasons, after all. The fox was focusing on his studies, even more so than he had before, and she had to be there as his assistant, all to support him, to be his partner in all things.

He was strong, stronger than any other mage, power swelling within him. He leaned more heavily into his nature magic still, with the essence of the ancient tree flowing through him, as much a part of him as he felt that his breath was. And Alyssa watched as he went from strength to strength, sometimes not even needing his staff, Kastalia, to channel his magic. Only the most powerful of mages did not need an object of magic through which to power their magic, using mana. His ability to store his own mana too grew, everything about him rising, his back straighter, chin tilted a little higher.

She'd never seen him so confident. Even then, he was invited to the city, where so many mages resided - not only mages too, wizards, necromancers, so many magic-users in the thriving, magical city. It was there that he could elevate his skills, as strong as they already were, to the next level, winding different types of magic into his natural affinity towards nature magic.

However, that meant that he would have to leave Alyssa.

Little did she know the secret the fox carried... Yet, to him, her heart would always remain true.

*

The night before Sandor and Alyssa parted...

_ _

Sandor sighed, taking Alyssa's hands in his, sitting opposite her across the dining table. His heart ached, though his eyes never once left his. He didn't want her to feel unimportant, the doe-taur who had changed everything in his life for him, even changed the course of it. He could have ended up as a merchant too, like his father, working to further the standing of the family - and yet she had been the one to give him the courage to go elsewhere, to do more, to change the path of his life, with Alyssa by his side.

"I'm so sorry, Alyssa," he said, the doe-taur's fingers twitching within the clasp of his. "They...won't let you accompany me."

The chair he sat on had been raised so that he could be at the same height as the doe-taur, who would have otherwise been a little higher than him when sitting. Her brown hair was lightly curled, a little kinky where the rain had dampened it down earlier, though she looked at him with all the resoluteness that he had fallen in love with so very long ago.

"It's okay, Sandor," she said, as strong as ever, though Sandor still caught the light shake to her smile. "I will always be here for you, I can wait at home, always, for you. I would wait forever for you, until the day you return."

His heart pulled as she squeezed his hands, putting on a brave face for him.

"I believe in your dream, Sandor, and I will always support you and your dreams. Go. I know you will come back to me, you will always come back."

The fox flinched and took a deep, shuddering breath. Oh, if only she knew... But he had to find a way to control what was inside him, what had risen when they were ambushed and the poison had made its way into his veins, deeper into his fascia, the flesh of his being. Yet he didn't even trust himself and his body as that hunger stirred and churned, growing more and more powerful by the day. Sandor even thought that it was one of the reasons that he had grown as strong as he had, though it was him that had had to refine his skill.

"It will not be long, Alyssa," he said, promising her, even if he was not yet sure if it was a promise he could keep, whether it would take that long in the city. "I will return...in six months, yes. Six months."

He said it like a promise, though not the words. She smiled, leaning forward over the table, her forehead gently pressed to his as he tipped forward to meet her, breath mingling, eyes half-closed. She wanted to keep him in his sights, his fingers interlaced with hers.

For, in the morning, Sandor would be gone. Off on his studies, off to learn so much more, so very much more that she knew that, one day, he would surpass every mage in the kingdom.

They made their way to bed, though neither of them was able to sleep. The doe-taur lay on her side, her forelegs tucked up and her hind legs stretched out comfortably, though it was not as if she could stay in that position. Her lover lay facing her and, as the hour grew late, a magical lamp burning on the bedside table beside Sandor, she shifted her legs, flexing her hindquarters to keep herself comfortable.

Her muscles were too tense, thoughts running amok. Stroking her lover's face, she bit her lip.

"Sandor..." Her eyes slipped down, worry pressing on her heart. "There are so many pursuing you, so many greater than me... I am just a taur and you know what people say about me. What if one of the female foxes that are wishing for your company does something?"

He smiled and shook his head - well, the best he could while lying in bed with her, ears flopping towards the pillow.

"No... Oh, no, my darling, that could never happen. I never see them anyway, though that is my failing in not shutting things down quickly. I will be more aware of that, I promise. None of them will ever get close to me."

"But you're a young, powerful mage..." She sighed, knowing that she was speaking badly of herself, yet it was a worry and would have been to so many in a similar position to her. "I love you, Sandor. I promise... I'm going to be here when you go back. I'll keep the house in order, everything. I just want you to come back to me."

He kissed her hand, bringing the back of it to his lips.

"Please, Alyssa... I know, I know. Trust me, I know. I have no eyes for anyone else, only you. It was always only you. No one else could ever match up to you, not ever. Let us talk about something else, darling."

The conversation moved on, freely moving around them. He sighed, nuzzling in close to her, dropping a tender kiss on her lips.

"Alyssa... I always wanted to ask you about the ukulele, but I never found quite the right time. What songs did your mother know? You said that she taught you a little, a long time ago...and then you taught yourself."

Alyssa nodded faintly, pressing in close to him, relishing in his body heat.

"Yes... I had to learn it when I was older, I couldn't remember what she showed me, so long ago. But I do remember one song that she played for me, to me. You are similar to me... Yes, that was the name. I don't know how to play it yet, I didn't quite get the chords right and it was all too much back then, with my mother gone. I will learn it, for you, and play it for you when you return, sweetheart."

It was easier to talk about lighter things, about the garden, what she had planted, how big the trees would grow by the time he returned, how she would practise with the bowgun during his time away. None of it was anything that Alyssa needed to do, not because she would oversee everything there while he was away... But he wanted to know what life she would be living there, to hear her talk, to let her voice soothe him, even though he could not sleep.

Not when he would be leaving her the next day.

"Sandor?" Alyssa said, her voice heavy with the need to sleep, though the doe-taur quite clearly did not want to let sleep take her yet either, not when Sandor was leaving, the feeling of it so close already. "I love you. You'll always know that, right? I shall send letters, many letters..."

Sandor kissed her lips softly, letting the caress linger.

"And I shall read and reply to every one of them, my darling," he promised. "There is nothing I would rather be doing, if I am forced to spend time away from you."

If only the city allowed non-magic users into its walls, he once again lamented to himself, though the fox would not be going unless he needed to. For it was not solely for his studies that he needed to go, of course, for nothing would have been worth leaving Alyssa in that way. No... The fox needed a way to control the hunger, the ravenous nature of the beast inside, the being that had risen.

He didn't know what it was yet, but he hoped that someone there would know. There would be research to be done, study to be had...all into one thing. But the more experienced mages there especially should know something, anything, about what was happening to him.

Alyssa stroked his face and he instinctively turned his muzzle into her palm, kissing it softly. Her hands were always on him, around his face, his ears, stroking the back of his hand. It was as if she was memorising every last little part of him so that she could recall it all, during his time away.

He hoped it would not be too long.

"Alyssa..."

Need for her rose in him, pressing in closer, heart pounding. Oh, how he wanted her, needed her, but not in the way that was dangerous, the snarl and snap of hunger buried, at least for the time being. He hugged her tightly, pressing her to his chest, her light top moving against her skin, though it was not enough to hide the shape and form of her breasts from him. The fox felt that his attention should have been on other things, but, truly, there was no time that he felt closer to the love of his life other than when they were sharing the delight of their bodies with one another.

There was something about it, the joining of their bodies bringing them closer, making him feel as if there were, indeed, no secrets between them, nothing that could ever hold them back or away from each other. Whereas the social barriers had been something that Sandor had been able to surmount, learning all the while how to keep Alyssa comfortable yet still stand up to those that thought less of her, he could not allow his secret to remain in place.

It had to be eradicated. There was no other way.

Still, Sandor stroked his hands down her back, memorising the lines of her body, the light curve of her hips, how narrow her waist was. He adored every part of her, though he wished, dearly, that Alyssa would eat more, would look after herself better. Perhaps, with him away for a while, she would have more time to consider herself too, to grow more into her own taur.

But that was just the fox trying to come to an understanding of it in his mind, even as her lips touched his and Alyssa drew him with her as she sat up in the bed. Of course, her deer body was still on the bed, lying on its front with the forelegs tucked under her, but her human torso raised, allowing him to come with her, scrambling up more urgently onto his knees.

"Sandor..." She breathed, eyes alight. "I need you so much. I want to feel you, to touch you... I always want to be with you... Oh..."

But the deer-taur could not get out all the words that she wanted to, that she needed to. Could words truly encompass the true depth of what she felt for the white fox? Alyssa didn't think so, not even as she inhaled shortly and sharply, his hands working swiftly to lift the light cotton of her top up and over her head. Her arms raised along with him and, once again, she adored how in-tune with one another they were, like two instruments that had always been meant to be played together.

"You're the..." She struggled with the words, twisting them around her tongue. "You're the drums...to my ukulele..."

"What?"

The fox could not help but look up at her, humour brimming over, despite the situation, despite everything. He laughed and the doe-taur frowned, shaking her head, pulling back, though she was not truly put off by him.

"I mean it!" She protested. "What's so wrong with that? The instruments... I'm confident they go together!"

"You're getting formal again, Alyssa," he teased her, giggling still as he nuzzled between her breasts, his soft nose snuffling over her nipples as he tugged on each lightly with his teeth. "You're so strange sometimes... But I honestly wouldn't have wanted you any other way, just as you, as yourself... There's no one else that could ever mean more to me than you."

His eyes glittered as he looked up at her, though the fox could already smell her arousal in the bedroom.

"Do you want me?"

The doe-taur blushed heavily and slid her gaze away. Yet Alyssa could not help but look right back at him, wanting to keep him in her sights, as if she could shorten the distance and time that they would be apart, if only the minute details of his fur and how it laid down his body were kept in mind. He was topless, which was a distraction at the best of times, though the doe-taur knew that there were no undergarments to stop her from reaching what she wanted.

For she did want him, even if it was more difficult than Alyssa could have imagined to say it aloud.

At least she had Sandor to push her, to encourage her to be bold, to be her very best self.

"I do..." She breathed, despite the heat darkening her cheeks. "I really want you, Sandor, always and forever. Please... Please, let me be with you. I want to be with you...mmm...so badly."

He drew her into a deep kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth, and Alyssa melted against him. That moment, more than any other, was romantic, bringing them closer, his hands sliding down to the small of her back. She pressed against him, knowing her need was evident and not finding that she was able to bring herself to care. Who cared if it was obvious how much her lover turned her on?

"I want you..." She breathed, breaking the kiss as he slid down her body again, around and behind her. "I want you, oh... Sandor... I want you so muuuch!"

She could not stop herself from groaning as she rocked back against him, the fox's hands roaming her backside, all over her hindquarters. His short, dark claws raked through her fur as she trembled back against him, so many sensitive nerve endings set on fire, as if her whole body was prickling and tingling with the luscious ache of his caress. His fingers, however, were swift to find her folds, glittering with a sheen of her arousal, the fur around her folds damp with it too.

The things the fox did to her... There seemed to be no way at all for him to not turn her on and that was just another reason, however sexual, that Alyssa loved him, filing away in the back of her mind to remember him by, during his time away. His finger slid inside her, to the knuckle, and she grunted, though it was not a very feminine sound.

It did not have to be, not when she was caught up there in the moment, trying to get her hind legs under her just a little more, rocking up against the fox. A second finger slid into her as he moaned out her name, though Sandor hastened also to wriggle out of the light trousers that he had donned too, presumably for sleeping. There was no sleep, between them, to be had that night, however...

They should have known it would end up like that as his need swelled, cock out in the open, forced to stop fingering her as he revealed his bare fur. There was no shame in Sandor, nude before her, though the fox would not have said that he honestly gave all that much thought to his body. He was simply the way he was and no more than that, smiling faintly, having only eyes for Alyssa.

She truly was the beauty of his eye, inside and out. Her body was arousing to him, yes, but it was the light in her eyes, her personality, her determination... Oh, so many things about her drew him in, all so he never wanted to be without her, his hands sliding down around her hips, nestling over her back end.

"Can you slide closer to the edge of the bed, darling?" He murmured, wanting to talk and also not wanting to break the spell of the moment between them. "Please? I want to be inside you so badly, my darling, you're so wet for me..."

Alyssa grinned and twisted around, on the edge of the bed but not quite where he had intended.

"I can ready you too, sweetheart," she breathed. "For you are not yet firm enough to ease inside."

He could have, of course, though his arousal was somewhat distracting, torn between wanting to hold her as close as he could and wanting to be inside her too, to enjoy that heat of passion drawing them ever closer together. But Alyssa well and truly took matters into her own hands there, her hand sliding down to the root of his cock, gripping him firmly. The bareness of his flesh ached into her hand as he groaned deep in the back of his throat, eyes closing, unable to help himself as his lover handled him so excellently.

No... Sandor groaned. There was no one quite like Alyssa and there never would be again.

The fox moaned and rolled his hips forward, suddenly weak at the knees as the deer-taur kissed the head of his cock, sliding his soft flesh into her mouth. Yet it quickly fully firmed up, thickening against her lips and pushing inside, though Alyssa took it all as she wanted, sucking his hard length into her mouth.

"Oh... Oh, Alyssa... Your mouth..."

He couldn't even get out the words, even though he didn't want to finish inside her mouth, as wonderful as it was. The soft, wet heat encased his cock, her small tongue flickering up against the underside of his length with subtle determination. It was obvious in the set of her body, even as her brown hair, the waves a bit looser, fell forward to shade her face, just how much she wanted to please him. It gave him a rush of power to see her in such a position, but Sandor wanted Alyssa to learn how to want to please herself too, to stand tall, to stand firm, to be herself - and proudly so.

They were not thoughts to have during sex, to be fair, but the mind was not to be directed down any singular path. Her cheeks hollowed, very faintly, as she sucked on his length, trying to take him deeper, though he was already a good size and fit for even her small mouth. She knew she was neat and petite, even though she stood taller on all four cloven hooves, her hand stroking the base of his shaft where he did not remain inside her mouth.

Sandor groaned and Alyssa coaxed him onward gently, rolling his hips, letting him spear into her mouth with a lustful throb. Yes... Yes, she would take everything that he wanted to give, everything that he could give her and so much more, grunting, moaning, letting such sweet sounds pass his lips.

She loved when he moaned like that, as if her body was the best thing in the world to him, as if nothing could ever surpass it. Her hand rested lightly on his hip, though the doe-taur knew that her lover had not expected her to give him a blowjob then. Amongst their culture, it was almost seen as a dirty thing, something that was only performed in brothels. And yet it was becoming increasingly acceptable - not that many at all spoke about sex openly. Alyssa still did not have a friend about which she could speak of such things, though she did not mind that too much. She thought that she would be too shy to talk to someone other than Sandor about it, even though it might have done her good too.

She combed her fingers, very lightly, through the white fur of his thigh, so silky and smooth, no dampness left in it from his bath the night before. Oh, to have that feeling always, to feel the softness of his fur, to soak in all of him... He longed for it, wanted it, languished in it. And she wanted to be right there with him.

The fox groaned, but she would not tease him any further. She needed it, the bareness of his shaft aching for her, as she turned and let his shaft slide free of her soft lips in a gleam of saliva. The doe-taur licked her lips, a sheen of pre-cum lingering there, though she had to imagine the pearly droplet, for it was not for her eyes to see from such a place. Her hind quarters pointed towards the edge of the bed, tail twitching up to expose the white, fluffy underside, though even that part of her could become damp with her arousal if she did not keep it lifted when turned on. At that moment, the fur on her tail clumped together very faintly, though only an eye that knew what it was looking for would be able to tell just how much her arousal had affected her.

His shaft pressed to the folds of her sex, the softness of her slit, and Alyssa reached back to clasp his hand in hers, wanting that contact. No, she needed it, panting breathlessly, feeling as if there was no air that she could claim for the sanctity of her lungs that would ease the tension there. His shaft filled her perfectly, driving deep, yet there was neither any pain nor any strain as he thrust, one after the other bringing their bodies together.

With her legs folded under her, Alyssa did not have much leverage to grind back at him - and she was just a little bit worried about slipping back off the edge of the bed. That wasn't at all how she wanted her last evening, for the months ahead, with her lover to be. She wanted it to be smooth, seamless, flawless, cumulating in the height of their love and passion that had twisted on through so much time already.

They would surmount this next obstacle, as they had so many that had gone before.

She moaned as he took her, though she was as much a part of it as Sandor was. The fox leaned over her, sweeping his hands over her hindquarters, fingers pressing down, massaging her muscles through the soft power of her flesh.

"I can even smell you, sweet Alyssa," he moaned, wanting to be dirtier but his words coming out sweeter instead. "Mmm... Even when you are just holding my hand. Tell me, Alyssa..." Oh, how he wanted to know. "How many cubs do you plan to have for me, hm, my darling? Our future together... It all lies ahead."

She blushed furiously, stammering, grasping at words. How could he talk about such things when he was buried inside her? Or maybe that only meant that it was a perfect time.

"I... Uh... Mmmm... Sandorrrrr!"

She moaned, though a smile pulled at her lips. Oh, he was cheeky! So naughty... Always trying to catch her off-guard, though her pussy pulled around him, clenching on his shaft. But she wouldn't have wanted Sandor to ever be any other way, as he had said for her.

She wanted to tell him that she would have all the cubs for him, though they both knew it could be difficult for their species to have offspring. She would find a way, he would find a way. It was not impossible: and that would always give them the hope they needed to go forward.

"I love how you always part for me, my darling," he groaned, rubbing his thumb over the edge of her folds, stroking her open a little wider. "You smell beautiful, mmm... You... Ah, you didn't know this, but the bed height...unff... I had it made so that I could mount you more easily like this."

He demonstrated with a sensual roll of his hips, spearing deeply into her while the bed shuddered, very gently, under them. She did notice, however faintly through heated waves of pleasure, that he was right, that the position came easily with him standing there and her lying on her deer half stomach, pressed back to the edge of the bed.

What a clever fox...

_ _

He thrust, winding his fingers around the base of her tail, though it was not as long as his. He did worry about yanking it too hard, for the root of his fox tail was sensitive too, but Alyssa had told him that she liked it, her cheeks colouring with a richer tint of pink, even though there was a twinge of pain in it for her. Sometimes the things that were the most pleasurable, in life and sex, came with a little strain, all to feel the beauty of it after all.

"Make me yours," she moaned, simply, not finding the words for anything much more. "Sandor... Oh... My love... Always...my love..."

He could say and do no more than as she willed of him, thrusting deeply, his grip tightening a little more around her tail. The dampness of the underside soaked into his hand and he grinned, relishing in the moment, forgetting, for a time, everything that was to come.

He thrust and thrust, letting their bodies come together, though the fox swore that the doe-taur's pussy closed around him even more tightly with each and every one of his thrusts.

"Alyssa..." He moaned. "Mine... Always mine... Mmmph..."

He panted, pink tongue lolling out.

"You are mine, always mine... My love..."

He claimed her. She would always be his, right then, in that moment, regardless of what was to come. For there was no one in the world that could tell that, not even those that saw into the future, though that was a kind of magic that drove sorcerers mad with what they saw. Not for him, never for him, not when there was so much for him to take on in training.

He had Alyssa there, to ground him, thrusting, her pussy hot and wet around him, so slick and dripping with her arousal that he slid back and forth within her. It was all as it needed to be, the heat of her sex clawing deep into his soul. He grunted, lips parted, but there was no reason at all for the fox to be quiet in his passion, not as he claimed her, leaning over her. He was so close to Alyssa that his hot breath tickled the back of her neck, her hair wafting lightly away from the nape. He kissed her tenderly, laying aside his passion for the moment, the roughness that they had been toying with for so long, thrust after thrust driving deep.

He couldn't help himself, not when he knew, in his heart, that Alyssa wanted it too. And he would have known that from her moans, her whimpers, how her hand squeezed his. The fingers of his free hand dug passionately around her tail, tightening his grip, as if he was going to drag her back onto his cock, though his lover was most certainly not going anywhere than where she was.

His lover cried out, head back, lips parted, exposing the vulnerable expanse of her throat. It was needed, all so very much, though, in the coming of the dawn, it was an orgasm that Alyssa would ride out for the months to come, remembering her lover, all of him that she had held so very close to her heart for so long.

As she climaxed, her sex pulling and rippling around him, as if she was actively massaging his cock to get out every drop of his cream, he could not hold back. Yet to hold back would not have been in his nature, thrusting deep into the twitching pulses of her pussy, letting her draw him over the edge.

Her pussy dripped around him as he spent his load with a low, deep moan. He groaned lowly, barely even raising his voice, though it was not to keep any secrecy, not at all, gasping openly, raspy breaths raking through his throat. Still, every drop of cum drooled and spurted, pouring right up where it belonged, so deep inside Alyssa that it would not soak out of her pussy in a hurry, despite the messiness of the fur around her folds.

The sun was rising in the sky and neither of them cared, panting and heaving, trying to regain their sense of self in the aftermath. Yet it would come, yes, all of it, all would come.

In time... But they had a few moments left together, Sandor leaning forward over her with a low whimper.

"Mmmm... My sweet..."

She was almost surprised to have him be so tender towards her, for that was not a side of him that was always as forward as he was showing it to be right then. Not that Alyssa minded, no, not at all, not as long as she had her fox there with her. She liked his quirky, teasing side too, the fox more and more comfortable around her, even though it had been the deer-taur too who had had to adjust to a more relaxed feel to their relationship, but she liked all sides of him. Loved them, in fact.

She panted, resting on the bed as he ran his finger around the base of her tail. However, Alyssa was quite unsurprised to see that side of him appear, once more.

"Maybe you should see me off at the Mage's Guild," he teased, "without cleaning your folds. It's not long now, Alyssa, I am unsure if there's time for you to bathe..."

She squeaked, shuddering away from him with wide eyes.

"Sandor! But I have an upright tail - it doesn't lie down, like, all the way down!"

He laughed and shook his head, a gleam in his eye that made her heart skip a beat. Oh, how she loved him.

"So, you would do it if you had a tail like a horse centaur?" He said, as if he was merely clarifying. "Hm... I'll have to get practising a new spell... Not in my usual repertoire, but I am sure it can be done..."

She swatted him playfully with heat in her cheeks, but the mutters under her breath were good-natured, at least.

Together, they would always be there, even if they were far apart.

Still, she didn't know that it would hurt quite so much to walk him to the Mage's Guild, hand in hand, ignoring the stares. The others there, of course, did not realise that Sandor was leaving for a long time, or that it would affect them like that. How could it, when Keoshi was most likely the only one that they had let so close to them as to see the true depth and intimacy of their relationship?

She held him tightly, the fox squeezing her so tightly that the doe-taur would not have been at all surprised if she broke from the crushing force of his hug. Not being a particularly muscular anthro, it was unusual for the fox to hold her like that, but she squeezed him back just as tightly, kissing him deeply, almost roughly. Their tongues brushed against each other's, but the moment was not right for such a furtive embrace, others watching them. Sandor did not care, but Alyssa knew that he had to go, that he should leave while the hour was still early. Also, there was the fact that the other mages were waiting for him, clicking their tongues and tapping their magical items. They had a particular way of showing disapproval that Alyssa could never quite match up to.

She pressed her lips to his, one last time, in a chaste kiss.

"Wherever you are," she breathed, so quiet that only he could hear. "I am there too. Please, never forget it."

Sandor's smile dropped, tears in the corners of his eyes. Though he would not shed them before Alyssa. He didn't want her last memory of him, before leaving with the other mages, to be of him crying before her.

"Goodbye, my darling. I will think of you every single day, I promise."

And, with that, he was gone, leaving Alyssa behind. The mages joined their powers together, Kastalia levelled to be a part of their convoy, drawing teleportation magic around them. It shimmered and glanced through the air as if they were being taken into a tunnel that encompassed all eight mages. She blinked - and then he was gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.

She took a deep breath, pressing her hand to her heart.

It hurt. A lot. But she would see him again.

In six months.

Continued in part two of three...