Through the door and stairs, we are back in the long endless corridors of this building. We are silent, both processing the events of before. I think about the look Rafiki wore in her eyes. Seeing it again before me sends shivers down my body. Her look was so vulnerable, so full of pain and so hopeless. I have seen very few people in my life look at me that way. I had hoped Rafiki would never reach that point.

It is a long evening that I would like to leave behind me, preferably as soon as possible. I want to make my way to my bedroom but unfortunately I haven't been given the rest I need yet. 'Cell we need to talk'. I look at Novak and see his red eyes worried. I nod slowly as confirmation and then walk through to my office. 'No nothing formal. We're going outside'. Again I nod at his special request.

In silence we walk through the corridors until we arrive at the outside door. A guard opens the large door for us so we can walk out. The man I have known for an intensely long time puts his hands in his pockets as we walk down the high staircase. 'Where are we going?'. I am curious and perhaps a little impatient. He lets a sigh pass his lips as soon as we step down the last step and into the garden.

'I know what you're doing. I'm not going to wrap cloths around it'. He pauses and looks into my eyes. 'I know that you have bound Rafiki to yourself, that you are taking part of her pain. I know that you are going to get yourself attached to her life line and I also know that it will be your death. After all these years I know you well enough to know that what I will say now that will not change anything about your plan'

He stops talking for a moment and takes his hands out of his pockets. He folds his hands together and looks at me again. 'I want you to have thought about the consequences if Rafiki returns. Can Rafiki handle it if you die in a very short time after her return? She is strong but you know better than anyone what it is like to be the last Night Rider on this world. Can you handle knowing that you will not see Rafiki become king?'

I have thought about these questions, several times. I find them both difficult and I keep them unanswered. I can live with the idea that Rafiki survives because of me. I don't know what her reaction will be, not happy I can count on that. I let my hands hang down beside me, my eyes shooting from Novak to the sky and back. 'I've thought about it. I can live with the idea that Rafiki survives and I won't be around anymore. Whether Rafiki can live with it I don't know'

Without saying anything Novak pulls me towards him and pulls me into his arms. My head rests against his chest which evokes a familiar feeling. 'Can you live with it?' I mumble the words against his shirt as I close my eyes. 'A blood tie is a blood tie Cell, no matter what. It's your choice to make, not mine'. I smile and think back to that one night. I had almost forgotten that Novak is not only my oldest and best friend, he is also the one to whom I pledged my blood and soul.

A very long time ago I stayed with the, then very young, vampire. Like a log I fell for him, and he for me. One night with the full moon in the sky, I sold my soul and body to the young one. A single bite on my neck caused me to feel his presence, pain and happiness since that night. When we were separated we found each other again in no time. We needed each other.

Over the many years, that bond wore off. It slowly faded to the point where we both chose our own paths for a time. Yet we always find each other again but a love affair it will never be, we have experienced too much for that. The familiarity and shared emotions have never disappeared. We don't have to say anything to each other and that is the best part of it all. We know and understand each other to every fibre of our being.

'For the next eighty years, thankfully, you're still here.' He mutters the words into my hair before letting go of me. I smile at him and start walking. Together we continue walking through the palace's expansive gardens. 'Noa is a vampire, or at least partly'. I blurt it out but it doesn't seem to surprise Novak that much. 'I can tell by the bond they have, a bond we had too'.

It may sound sad when he says it like that but on the contrary it is not. It's something we both made peace with years ago and it's good as it is. 'I hope they are smart enough not to do the same thing we did, not now'. This has bothered me many times before but it's the first time I've really voiced it. Novak smiles and seems lost in thoughts.

'I wonder if he himself knows what he feels'. By now we are making our way back to the castle. It is deep into the night and fatigue is starting to set in. 'I wonder if you know how you feel about Jamie' after those words from Novak I stand still and look at him overwhelmed. 'What do you mean?'. I stammer a little in my words which betrays my nerves. 'Exactly as I say it, everyone sees it Cell, even Nuri must see it'.

I swallow audibly and fiddle with my nails. I have no sensible answer to this question. I have loved the man since I knew him, I have longed for him since I knew him. I have never been able to make peace with the fact that he married Nuri. 'He loves you, he always has. There's going to come a day when he realizes he can't ignore that'. That small amount of hope is enough to ignite a spark in me. 'You deserve that happiness'