Duck Lake [m] Oh cease me

Her heart was torn further by his confession that he'd worn himself too thin, and Reverie couldn't help but blame herself for this, too. Arric had given so much of himself to helping her; even months later, how much of his exhaustion was because of her? And Reverie realized something else then, something that caught her by the throat and refused to let go:
That she loved him more than she should. She buried her face in the fur of his shoulder and resolved that he could never know. It would never be returned, and besides, she had broken his trust, she had chosen another, Akavir hated her, and —
Maybe some part of her wished that things could be different, but mostly, Reverie was relieved that Arric did not love her the way Lestan had. Her love was a burning, grasping thing, and Arric was already crumbling under the weight of too many demands. You should take more time for yourself, She told him softly, a little muffled by his fur. You can't save anyone from themselves, Arric. And I know you're trying - because you tried with me. But - your happiness is important too.
Too important to her to ever again be jeopardized by the flames that followed her everywhere.