Page 31 of Celestia, Year Four

When she didn't answer, I took a few steps forward into the water, the level reaching just above my breasts.

"Arielle. It's me, Celestia," I cooed, wondering if I lowered my voice, maybe it would snap her out of it.

"Ce...C..." She tried to speak but her eyes began to fill with tears as her lip trembled. "Celes...tia, Bru? Mis...stress? My Mistress?"

The level of sadness and agony in her struggling words made me bite my bottom lip hard as I tried not to break down right there and then. I felt so guilty.

I should have figured out a way to reach her, but my memories had been all frazzled.

Either way, I'd stressed my poor loyal familiar to the point it was physically hurting her. The emotions that warmed between us told me the amount of stress, sadness, and anger she'd dealt with, and yet, none of it was towards me.

She wasn't angry at me. She wasn't sad because of my inability to contact her or stressed that I hadn't done my duty as her Mistress.

She was sad that she hadn’t protected me. She was angry that she'd failed me in some way and couldn't locate me. She was stressed by the thought of losing me forever.

My beautiful, loving, Arielle was blaming herself for what happened when it was completely out of our control.

Neither of us knew what was going to happen after the Awakening Ceremony. I didn't think I'd need Arielle at all and she was doing her duty protecting me from the outside.

Yet, she blames herself… as if she could have possibly predicted this. My poor Arielle.

"Arielle, I'm sorry." I immediately apologized and opened my arms for her.

She blinked a few times, and very cautiously moved towards me, which only made my heart ache more.

I could feel her uncertainty, but as she got closer and closer, more tears filled her tired looking eyes and I couldn't wait any longer, moving the final steps to wrap my arms around her.

"Arielle. I'm real," I whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry. So very sorry."

"Real… Cel...estia? My Mistress... you're okay? Yo-you’re… alive… Bru?" She whimpered and hugged me be back.

"I'm okay, Arielle. I was unconscious for the last two and a half weeks. I woke up yesterday, but I was disorientated. I couldn't think properly. I'm sorry, there's no excuse. I should have tried harder to contact you when I woke up."

"Bru..." She whimpered, her shoulders moving up and down.

"I'm here, Arielle. It's okay." I rubbed her back, and she met my watery eyes as my tears fell. I placed my forehead against hers.

"But… what if..." She tried to deny it and I shook my head, our foreheads still pressed together.

"We're going to be together forever, Arielle. No matter what barriers try to push us away, I'll never die and leave you behind. In life and in death. We will always be together, " I whispered.

"Together… forever, Bru..." She looked right into my eyes and I smiled.

"Together forever, Bru," I repeated, and she began to sob.

"MISTRESS!" She wrapped her arms around me and cried, her sobs echoing in the hollow room.

I hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and quietly letting my own sobs escape me. The hollowness in my heart was gone, and I could feel Arielle’s anxiety, sadness, anger, and fear begin to dissipate with every sob that left her.

We'll always be together, Arielle. No matter what comes our way.

CATCHUP AND NULL FAMILIAR

~CELESTIA~

"Arielle, you should get out of the water so you don't get sick."

"No, Bru," Arielle replied and I stroked her head.

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