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Destiny Awaits: Requies

(Please forgive me any typos! I haven't sent this through an editor just yet. This is a tentative ending for my story "Destiny Awaits" which is currently on hold. There are references here that won't make sense unless you read the story. Sorry about that! If anything, please enjoy the story for what it's worth. ~desti)

He wasn't sure if what Sagan had done succeeded or not. There was nothing left for him in his own time, which Sagan has offered to send him back to. So, he opted to remain with Isis and Gary, the oldest Blooded in recorded history, who now watched over the flow of time. Besides, it was the here and now that mattered to him most. And now he needed to know if Sagan had been successful in sending Diahnee back to reclaim her lost time, the childhood that had been denied her in that other place, that other time, that was quickly slipping from his memory.

He looked out across the wasteland before him and felt the utter stillness of the land, listened to the wind whistle over and through the dunes. His horse shifted beneath him. He was suddenly aware of how anxious he was to see her again. Would she remember him? Would she know his name? Would she be different this time?

Tarrant urged his horse forward and began his long, perilous trek through the desert. He wasn't seeking her out because he loved her. It was nothing like that. It was just that they had depended on each other so much. This had been especially true during her times of insanity, when things were almost too much to bear, when she had had no time to herself to adjust to the sudden changes. They had had to move fast to catch up to Renard-Void's next scheme of changing the history of the Universe. It was a wonder that he and Adrian didn't go crazy as well. Then again they didn't remember the changes. Only Diahnee, Solara, and Sagan did.

He looked up suddenly at the already darkening sky. With that last train of thought, it reminded him of all the things that had been done, both great and terrible, to preserve their way of life. He wasn't even sure how many times he had violated his Code. By all rights, he should be stripped of his rank and dismissed from the Order of the Blade Dancers, but he was technically dead.

He returned his gaze back to the vastness before him and his thoughts returned to Diahnee once more. He needed to find her, if only to satisfy his own curiosity and to be sure that she was well.

He jerked awake with a start. It was daylight now. He had fallen asleep and not even realized it. He was still somewhere in the desert and no sight of the distinct rock formations that the Aevum tribe lived in. The horse had kept going while he had slept, which he was surprised of. He halted the horse, hopped down, and fed himself and his only companion. Once he was sure his horse could continue the trek, he got back on and started off once more.

The gods alone knew how long this was going to take. It didn't matter. Even if his horse keeled over and died, he would still keep going. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

He and the horse spent several more days like this, the horse plodding along, he lost in his thoughts, until finally he saw something in the distance. Could it be the rock formation he was looking for or was the desert heat finally getting to him? He turned his horse in the direction of the shimmering formation in the distance. If it really was a mirage- He cut himself off. He oculdn't think about that right now.

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him again when he saw a figure in the distance. Still he rode on and as he neared the figure and the rock formation, he realized that both were real. He halted his horse in front of the desert ghost. They stared at each other for what seemed to be forever, the stillness of the wasteland surrounding them. The figure raised one arm slowly and gestured for him to proceed.

Tarrant gently kneed his horse forward. Were the tribes people still aware of the changes of the differences in the timeline? Or would that be timelines? Did they know who he was or was it on a whim that the guard let him pass? Regardless of the reason, he was amongst the Aevum now. That meant he was closer to Diahnee.

His horse took careful steps down the twisting ways of the rocks. People began to emerge from places hidden from his eyes, all dressed in the bone colored desert garb that Diahnee had always worn, the embroidery and color faded from sun, wather, and constant use. They watched him in silence and it was beginning to make him uncomfortable.

He directed his horse around a bend in the path and halted in front of a small blockade of one person. The face veil used to sheild from sand, wind, and sun was pulled down. It was Rana, Diahnee's surrogate mother.

She put her hands on her hips and grinned at him. She looked as though she ws about to say something smart but all she said was, "We have awaited your arrival, Tarrant of the Serens."

"Then you know why I am here," he said quietly.

"Yes."

"May I see her?"

"She will not recognize you."

"Why not? You do."

"That is because I am the Keeper of the Times. I am Magus."

Magus. Rana meant it in its most ancient meaning: wiseman.

"And the others?"

Rana smiled. "So old yet so young. Tarrant of the Serens, we are all Keepers of the Times."

"All of you are Magi?" He sounded slightly surprised.

"Yes."

"Then why-"

Rana held up a hand for silence, stopping Tarrant in mid question. "She is not of the Aevum. She is a doran."

That made sense. "I understand," Tarrant said. He waited for Rana to say something when he realized that she was actually waiting on him. He glanced around. They all were. Finally, he asked, "May I see her?"

Rana turned around and began to walk away. She paused to glance over her shoulder and raise an eyebrow at him.

Tarrant stared at her for a moment.

"Follow me," she said.

Oh.

Tarrant got down from his horse, patting it on the neck appreciatively. He began to follow Rana and noticed that someone had come forward to take care of his horse. Good.

He looked back at Rana. She was still waiting. He hurried to catch up to her and realized that she was the only woman that could make him feel embarrassed about making her wait. He suddenly felt sorry for the man she would one day undoubtably capture and call her own.

"She is within," she said, breaking in on his thoughts. She led him inside of the ancient rock formation that served as their home. Down winding and twisting paths they went until finally they emerged into a subterranium garden. There was a stream nearby that could be heard but not seen, small trees and plants were placed along a winding path. It distinctly reminded him of an atrium he had seen once. He couldn't remember where.

Rana gestured for him to walk along the path. Tarrant glanced at her, then down into the man-made forest. He walked into it caustiously. He wasn't sure what he was expecting. He still rememberd her impassive, unemotional face, the sometimes moments of insanity, the few moments of peace when everything went right. Or at least as close to that as possible. What he did see astounded him.

A woman with bronze hair with a silver/white streak stood by a small waterfall. Crystal blue eyes gazed at him, the rest of her face hidden. She wore the traditional clothes of the Aevum and no gloves. She reached up and revealed her face. Tarrant did the same, exposing his smoke gray hair and eyes and weathered features.

They stared at one another for a while and then she spoke.

"I had a dream once that I had met a Seren man and that he was very important. In the dream, he was half hidden in shadow with great sorrow and pain in his eyes." She paused, watching his face. "There was also a woman with hair like fire, a man with eyes like ice and hair like moonlight, and another man with a great and powerful book. There were others, but I do not recall them as clearly."

Tarrant stared at her. He wasn't quite sure what to say. She had just described people from that other place and time. She had described him. There was still some part of her that remembered.

"I had the same dream," he said quietly. "Except that you were in it."

"Is that why you have come? Because of me?"

"Yes."

"Now that you have found me, what will you do?"

"I came because in the dream I was drawn to you. When I awoke I knew I had to find you." Not the complete truth, but close enough. "I am drawn to you still. I do not know what will happen now, but I know that my place is by your side."

Something happened then. The look on her face was of one of recognition. Something he said brought some unbidden memory to the surface.

She whispered in tremulous tones, "So, tell me: will you still be here if I bring the world crashing down around our ears? Will you still be at my side even if I destroy the world?"

"I will follow you to wherever you may roam. I will remain at your side for time has no meaning. Not for us. And I know what you have done, but it somehow seems meaningless to me. Just know that I am by your side. Even if you destroy the world, I am by your side."

"I have been waiting for you all my life."

"I know, and I am here now."

Diahnee gave him the first smile he had ever seen from her and it was brilliant and full of life. "Would you care to walk with me?" she asked, almost shyly.

Tarrant inclined his head and lowered his eyes. "I would be honored," he replied. He straightened and stepped up next to her, offering his arm. An old habit from a bygone era.

Diahnee took his arm hesitantly, laying her hand gently atop his.

"Tell me about this garden. There must be a reason why it's here." Tarrant looked up at the trees as they began to walk. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder.

Rana stood on the path watching them. She gave him a smile and turned away. The faint strains of a tune echoed quietly about the cavern as she left. An ancient, wistful tune sung low over faded memories lost within the echoes of time.

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