Oh... this sounds similar.

I giggled because I couldn't comprehend what just happened and smiled wide, "I'm not a child... I can help..." I reached up and touched his face, there was more than one shape of his spirit moving around. "She helped me so I wanted to help her... is Adelle okay?"

I glanced back and she seemed to be breathing easier and calming down. "Wow... ah, yeah... she seems to be better." I looked back at her. "Thank you, but how are you feeling?" I wiped my hands off on my robe before feeling her head for a fever. "

"I have a funny taste in my mouth... I feel so dizzy...." I wanted to cry because I was scared but I wanted to smile because I'd saved someone who had been protective of me and taken care of me from the start. "Thank you for teaching me m...agic..." I couldn't keep my eyes open. "Am I dying...?" I asked weakly. "You feel far away."

I gulped and shook my head, feeling the tears forming. "I don't know, Ri." I said softly and pulled her into my arms and held her tight. "But I hope not. I don't want to lose you. I want to marry you." I said, hugging her tight.

"I'm so sorry..." I loved how he was holding me, felt so tired but I hoped it was just that I needed to sleep and not that I was dying. I didn't really want to die... but maybe I only had a little bit of a purpose here. "Are you still there, Julius...?"

"I'll always be here, Love." I said softly, kissing her cheek multiple times. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to." I felt so tired, I just closed my eyes and squeezed his arm a little, "I want to sleep... but I'm kind of scared."

I hugged her tight and tried to hold back and speak past the lump in my throat. I had just noticed how quiet everyone had gotten as I held my sweetheart close. The one I absolutely loved. I adored her, and I didn't want to let her go. But I felt like I was going to lose her either way.

"It's okay, Love. S-Sleep if you're tired." I said shakily. "Don't force yourself." I held her closely and closed my eyes. I didn't want to lose her.

I didn't want to lose her.

"Kay... I love you, Julius..." I reached up weakly and scratched behind his ear. I stared at him for a couple minutes after I brought my hand back down and closed my eyes. I was just going to sleep a little...

*Viann*

I stared and it took a minute to register, I couldn't hold back the tears when I realized that Riona was gone, there was blood at the corner of her mouth and yet she looked so peaceful. I let out a quiet sob and then I felt Gill's arms around me.

I felt her body go limp and couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I cried and held Riona's limp and lifeless body closey, as though she'd come back. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't be coming back.

-Marcus-

I had been so absorbed in making sure Adelle was sleeping peacefully when I looked up to see Gill and Viann crying. But why were they crying? Adelle was fine. She was just asleep. Then I heard Julius and when I turned, I almost wished I hadn't. He was hugging Riona tight, who had no reaction, and was crying like a child. "J-Julius...?"

"She's gone." He cried softly. "She's... gone."

I couldn't stop sobbing, I wanted to bring her back but I didn't think I could. I didn't know a thing about magic and it was obvious that Julius didn't know what to do either. She was just gone... she saved Adelle and then died. "Can't you... give her the energy from the amulet? Can't you bring her back, Julius?!" I was sobbing, I didn't understand how she could be there one minute and then dead the next.

"Viann..."

"No! She can't be dead, she's... she's just asleep!" I sobbed. "Julius..."

"Viann..." I said softly. "She's..."

"She's already dead!" Julius exclaimed. "She's already gone. And I couldn't save her." He said softly. "All the magic I know and I couldn't even save her." He kissed her cheek and rocked back and forth, holding her lovingly. He had really loved her.

I shrunk back a little bit and nodded slowly, he was hurting and I didn't need to pressure him that way. Adelle had no idea... how were we going to explain to her that Riona died... how? I got up shakily and walked away to get alone for a few minutes.

It seemed like the memories from a short time ago just came flooding back. Riona had come to visit us since she was so small, we'd always seen her and she'd always heard us. She'd spoken to us when she was tiny and we didn't even know.

"I don't know why people marvel the way they do." A tiny girl, not even six years old said in her little voice, "You aren't just stachoos... look, I draw..." She held up her canvas, "I daw... choo all the times!"

I never knew why she always insisted on talking to us, we never even knew that she thought we were her best friends.

"Huummm... mhmmhumm..." She hummed a little tune as she drew away, getting the ink all over her tiny hands. "I speshally like the kitty! So I'm dawing.... the kitty!"

I bit my lip and looked back to Adelle. I'd almost lost my own love. I'd come so close, but Riona sacrificed herself for Adelle. She took herself away from Julius to give me Adelle back. I ran a shaky hand along Adelle's cheek. She'd always loved to watch Riona along with Julius. She'd always comment on how cute she was, words changing about how pretty she was getting as she grew older. We loved her. We all loved that girl... one of us a little more than the other. I sighed, wondering how I'd tell Adelle. She loved Riona so much. I looked back to Julius who was quietly holding his beloved. He was staring out into the distance, seemingly at nothing.

A lot of time passed and eventually, Gill and I got married and we moved to a small town not far from where Riona passed away. Adelle didn't accept Riona's death right away, none of us did but what hit her hardest was finding out that Riona was the one who saved her and ultimately gave her life source away. Seasons came and went and Adelle and Marcus finally married as well.

The most wonderful thing that happened was Julius adopting a little girl. He knew in his heart that he'd never find a girl he loved as much as he did Riona, but there was a place in his heart that was able to fall in love again. He adopted a baby that someone left on his step, the little girl was beautiful but was also born blind.

He named her Riona. Every time I saw him with his little daughter, hugging her, playing with her... making sure she had the world, I wanted to cry. I had never seen him happier than when he was with her. I looked back on things fondly, remembering how we discovered that she could speak to us, when we took her away from her cousin and brought her on our adventure. I always wondered if we went wrong somewhere, making her leave. But then she'd wanted to, all she'd ever wanted was to help. And she experienced things she'd never experienced before, she died happy and I know she did.

As I watched Julius play with tiny Riona at the lake I realized that if it wasn't for her that we wouldn't be where we are today.

-The End-