Chapter 17: The Bond We Had

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE BOND WE HAD
Once I thought you were a rose.  Every day you became more beautiful, despite how at the same time you were aging.  
All too soon I came to terms with reality.  If you were a rose you would begin to shrivel in the winter.   You would fear change, and you... Ha, you've never feared much of anything without firstly denying it to everyone around you.
--Leal


Celestria knows that Alaire's condition is only getting worst, so she begins to think back to a time when she thought her life was ending.  When she was so close to death but managed to escape it.

A man was kneeling beside me; I could not recognize him, and my failing vision did not help me get a better look at him.  He spoke words to me, but I could not understand him.  Either he was not speaking Romanian or all of the senses in my body were ceasing to work, but it did not matter.  In a minute the world went dark around me.  The darkness was almost unbearable…

Above is an excerpt from chapter 9 of Cursed with Power.
She remembers that Alaire saved her life by stopping Aldemund and taking her to Roana.  Why could not Roana help Alaire now in his time of dying?  Why could she not perform a miracle again?
In this chapter, however, there are other matters beside Alaire's condition mentioned.  There is a black sparrow, white and red ribbons, and a bond Alaire mentions that he believes is broken.
What is this bond?  Why does Alaire want to travel to Belsgar?  Who the heck is Emeria?  The answers begin to unravel...
EXCERPT:

“What kind of ‘friend’ are you anyways?” I asked him.  From the start I had felt uncomfortable around him, but now more than ever I realized everything he had done.  He was a good magician; there was nothing he could gain from helping us.  There was no reason for him to save Alaire’s life.

I continued speaking. “Does holding up your part of the bargain make you a friend?  Do you not realize there is more to friendship than giving and taking?”

“Grefin…” Daciana’s tone rose as she called for him, though he was sitting beside her.  He stood up, which blocked my view of Alaire.  Ignoring Emeria, I moved to stand at the edge of the bed.  Alaire was coughing viscously, and his body jolted as he continued on.  Daciana kept a firm hold onto him as he shook and rocked back and forth without control.  I wiped a tear from the edge of my eye and breathed when he finally returned to being calm.  

 Sometimes you do not realize how much you care about someone until you're standing beside them... watching them take their last breaths.  Until you feel a tear leaving your eye and can gasp what you are about to lose.
What will Celestria do if she loses Alaire?

You ruin every relationship you have with a person.

The quote at the beginning was one I came up with off the top of my head.  I decided I might be adding in quotes relating to images or the chapter at the beginning of these posts for those of you who miss him.
I assure you that even with the holidays I will try to accomplish more of Cursed with Power.  It's about halfway finished, and there are some of you who are just as excited as me for what the ending will turn out to be.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.