with the secret she had to keep and the loneliness it caused, adyra never thought she'd be able to trust someone with her heart. and then she met harmony, and her sweet, wide-eyed attitude charmed adyra, and she tumbled head over heels into love with her. their relationship, though, did not last, and though they parted ways as a couple, they always cared deeply for one another and stayed in touch.
adyra wasn't expecting to fall in love again, even though she was open to the possibility. and then she met him.
not that she loved him. quite the other side of the coin, in fact. he lied to her, then used her and tossed her aside, and she hated him for that. her heart was still broken, and the wound smarted all the way up until she saw him again, when they were stuck on the same small ship for a month's voyage. she hadn't thought to interact with him at all, but in the end it was unavoidable. that's what she would tell herself, anyway, over the next few years, thinking back on that time.
years passed, and she forgave him, so when they met again, she was ready to start over, and she told him so. she really believed he had changed, but he did the same thing to her that he did the first time, and she hated that she was naïve enough to fall for it. after that, she swore she'd never love again, not him or anyone. so when she saw him a few years later, she turned and left before he could see her, hoping that it would be the last time.
several years later, they ran into each other again, and adyra's first impulse was to kiss him, so she did. but she still hated what he had done to her, so she slapped him next, intending that there was now nothing left between them. she had gotten her closure. but to her shock, he asked for her help in becoming a better man. and to her greater shock, she accepted, and the two began to travel together.
adyra made a very strict "no physical contact" rule for her own good, because she didn't know what would happen if she got too close to him. she did her best to help him learn about goodness and kindness, showing him ways he could try to atone for the way he'd treated her and others in the past. sometimes, she wondered why she bothered.
and then one day, he told her he had fallen in love with her, heart and soul, and she realized that he really was paying attention, he really was trying to improve himself. and she had seen that he had good sides, too, and she loved those sides of him, and she wanted to believe that they were the real him, and not the person his lack of love had created. so she told him this was his last chance, and then she kissed him, and felt the years of drought lift, and she knew that she never wanted to be apart from him again. he never would betray the trust she gave him that day.
the birth of their daughter a few years later tested their relationship, if only because adyra was wholly determined to have the child it became clear was killing her. her pregnancy was difficult, and caiden nearly went blind with terror that he would lose her. his fears were not unfounded, and for a time, it seemed that after fighting for her for so long, he was going to lose her anyway. adyra's health crumbled and it was unclear if she would survive the birth. still, she refused to be turned away from it, despite caiden's pleas for her to reconsider.
their daughter was born, perfect and healthy, and though caiden loved her from the moment he saw her, his first concern was for his wife. he spared nothing to ensure her survival, and survive she did. adyra would claim, later, that it was the strength of his love that pulled her through, and although it sounded ludicrous, she seemed to believe in its truth.
