He stood in the shadows of the trees, the moonlight glinting off the rippling waters of the pool, his eyes fixed on the figure bathing in it. Her hair had grown long again, cascading over her pale shoulders and stopping about halfway down her back. It was taking all of Roy's self control to prevent himself casting off his armour, swimming out to her and declaring his love but in the back of his mind, or was it his heart, the twin ghosts of doubt and guilt held sway.
Shortly after the death of Vaarsuvius, a rift had begun to grow between Elan and Haley, which eventually lead to the complete destruction of their relationship. The Order was still together, Xykon still remained a threat to them all, but now the two of them rarely spoke to each other, a cold, frigid silence hung between them.
It was hard to pinpoint when Roy had first realised his true feelings for the girl in the pool. The fact that she had gone to such great lengths to bring him back from the Celestial realms was certainly a factor and that time and again, they had helped each other in battle. Her lively, vivacious personality also stirred something inside him, a love of life that had kept him motivated even when things looked bleak. A sudden splash broke his thoughts as Haley raised her cupped hands and poured water over her face and chest. Roy shuddered – he tried to convince himself it was purely her kind-hearted and spunky personality he was drawn to but her supple and youthful body wasn't exactly helping matters.
Haley seemed to pause for a moment and then cocked her slightly, as if listening for something. Then she continued to wash, her movements strangely exaggerated as if for some unseen audience and for a moment Roy could have sworn he heard a faint giggle. He turned away and walked quietly back towards the main camp, where the rest of the group was still asleep. The moon continued to shine brightly but Roy felt a growing darkness in his heart, unsure of what he should do…