Broken Hearts

In need of a quiet moment.

I woke up this morning and prayed it'd all been a dream. Some horrible nightmare easily discarded from memory. I checked my mobile phone and there it was; Alexxia's text, telling me she's still crying, asking me to come back.

10.     Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss,
11.     Th' offender's sorrow lends but weak relief
12.     To him that bears the strong offense's cross.
13.     Ah but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
14.     And they are rich, and ransom all ill deeds.
                                  - Sonnet 34, Shakespeare

I had only just returned from saving a distant world and Tavia had bad news to confess to. She looked so worried it scared me. I had thought she might have mis-swiped with her blade and critically injured someone during the Guardian's friendly spar I'd heard about. How wrong I was. The sparring with Jack Harnett did take place, they had been meeting at the Powerhouse by coincidence and Jack became untoward. He started flirting with her and it went on from there. Partially relieved as I am that she'd been trustworthy enough in admitting to all this, it was of little consolation. He'd kissed her... and she didn't stop him.


The words left her beautiful, perfect lips and I could no longer see them as mine. The thought of Jack moving onto her like that just replayed on my mind. Seeing him steal a part of Tavia that had until now been shared with no other man but me. I felt possessive in this way. Tavia reached out her hands to me, tears flooding her sweet and adorable cheeks, washing down the soft and tender glow of her perfect skin. It broke my heart and brought my whole world crashing down around me, in ways no Biblical apocalypse could manage. In this sense, I felt great sorrow. Therakiel, Adramelech, all suddenly seemed less dangerous than this ex-Guardian. He would have to answer for this baseless transgression most foul. Jack Harnett, shall face the fury of my words, and pray it not, be the flurry of my swords.


In this sense, I felt anger. A rage so uncontrolled it was alien to me, and unbecoming of a man of faith. It scared me, and I worried I could say or do something quite regrettable. In this sense, I felt fear. It was for this reason that I fled our home and flew aimlessly into the deepest most isolated depths of space, lost in the darkest voids of the dimensional planes. I waited here, to reflect on my thoughts but felt the mental and mystical attempts of friends trying to reach me.


Eventually I returned to see Tavia and apologised for leaving her at a time she needed me most. I aught never have gone on that mission in the first place. Perhaps then this pervert, this disgrace of a man, this useless so-called hero would never have seen opportunity to test another man's betrothed. With the support of Alexxia Moon, Sapphyre and the ever-disconcerting demon Daemi, I was able to apologise and exchange forgiveness with my fiancée.


Yet the damage had been done. How does one measure a betrayal such as this? Common flirting, a kiss or is it a night together that constitutes as cheating? What I do know, is that a part of me died last night, and something darker came in it's place. And this scares me to no end. I... will be needing a drink. Like a lot of drinks. And maybe Alexxia Moon in her underwear. In fact, why not throw in a blasphemous half-naked, pole-dancing nun while we're at it. A toast! To the bachelors... and a drink, to the broken hearted. Amen.