'With this ring...' Ethan knew the Earthly words that went with such commitment, but he didn't know the Agassian equivalent.

Sitting on the steps to the Temple, he looked first out into the inky depths of the forest and then down at the silvery ring that still resided on his left ring finger, mocking him.

Now he was nothing, assigned to a temporary but potentially lengthy stay in the house of death herself. He would rather be dead himself than have to keep going through day after day without Minewin.

How long had it been? Ethan couldn't remember when he had stopped counting days and certainly couldn't begin to count the days where he had stayed curled in a weeping ball in a corner of the fair Truth goddess's retreat.

His body would always belong to Minewin though, would always be the only thing that could complete him. His memories would never let go of their last night together, the night before the grand party when Minewin had pulled out the ring and announced his intentions in a soft whisper.

Together. Forever. In the most grotesque of ways, he knew that Minewin would always be inside him. There was no escaping every moment they'd had together, every time they had made love uncaring that their days could be numbered.

Ethan was crying again, sobbing softly though his eyes didn't seem to want to lose any more tears than they already had. Perfect love had been stolen from him and there was nothing he could do - no bit of sorcery in the world could change a thing.

Never again could he feel the heat of Minewin's body against his, knowing Minewin desired him completely. The ring...

That night they had spent hours upon hours tasting and teasing each inch of the other's body. Ethan had found himself at the brink of orgasm from just Minewin's tongue teasing gently at his opening, barely pressing in but instead sealing a promise for later when that tight opening would be more than filled.

'With this ring...' Ethan pulled the ring free from his finger and without even one last look, he threw it as far as he could, turning before he could see even which part of the dark wilderness it had landed in. There was no way to turn back the days to keep his heart from becoming fragmented.

As he ascended the steps to go back into the Temple, he took a strange solace in knowing that even if he would never again find perfect love, he had at least found it once.