What awaited for them on the other side of the portal wasn't so very different from home, or at least, so it seemed. They stepped out of the portal into a wood with a clearing in which stood a small cabin, not unlike the one they had just left behind, though there was no lake, only a dense wood as far as the eye could see. If one listened carefully, they could hear the sound of rippling water not too far in the distance. The portal closed behind them as Marissa stepped through, looking to make sure they had all arrived safe and sound.

"Welcome to Rhy'Din," she told them quietly. The trees rustled in the cool breeze, as if whispering a welcome. It seemed a peaceful place, a quiet place, a safe place, compared to where they had been.

Still hugging Rob protectively to herself, Mara stumbled a little as she stepped from the portal, her mind spinning with the new experience of passing from one plane to another for the first time in her life. Breathless, she looked around, glancing worriedly to her companions as Marissa spoke. "Rhy'Din?" she asked softly, her fingers stroking Rob's hair as he finally raised his head to look around, more curious than afraid.

"Yes," Marissa replied, her voice quiet and gentle as a summer breeze. "My home, my world. This is where I grew up." One of the Marissas inside her had grown up in this very place, but that was too much to explain or for them to understand at the moment. It was enough they were there. "You can stay here for now, until we can get you settled in a place of your own. It's not much, but it's warm and dry and safe. No one will bother you here." And perhaps most importantly, it was warded.

"Here?" Mara asked, but Elise was already moving. The older woman clearly figured that if Marissa could be trusted to bring them safely away from Dreven, then she could definitely be trusted to settle them somewhere safe. She bustled up over the porch and into the cabin, evidently pleased to have some role, despite her aches and pains. Easing Rob down onto his feet, Mara's eyes turned to Marissa, gratitude bright in her green gaze. "Thank you," she said softly. "I have no way to repay you, but ....thank you, for everything."

"There is no need to repay me," Marissa said, solely addressing Mara for the first time. She hoped perhaps they could be friends someday, but time would tell. "It is difficult to explain, but Duncan is family and so are you."

Not truly understanding anything that had happened over the course of the day, Mara nodded gently, her carefully trained manners keeping her from pouring questions onto the woman who had saved the people she loved. "Are you staying with us?" she asked quietly, one arm still wrapped about her son as Rob clung to her skirts.

Marissa frowned a little at the question, her gaze sliding to Duncan a moment before looking back. "No, I..." This was something else that was difficult to explain and perhaps even more difficult for them to understand. "We should see to your wounds," she said, changing the subject. "Come. You will be safe here."

A faint frown touched Mara's expression as Marissa trailed off, glancing between Duncan and this mysterious friend. She felt a stab of jealousy, wondering just how they knew one another. How close had they been before coming for Duncan's son"

Marissa sensed many questions brewing inside Mara, but there would be time to answer all those questions later. "I know a little healing magic," she told them both as she led them toward the cottage.

Duncan's hand reached for Rob's as the boy fell into step between mother and father. Neither had said much since they'd come through the portal, allowing Marissa to answer their questions in her own time.

Rob's hand slid trustingly into Duncan's, holding on tightly as he and Mara followed them to the cottage. By the time they were inside, Elise had already lit a fire to stave off the unexpected chill of the autumn season, and was making herself busy in the kitchen, investigating the unfamiliar stove with something quite close to delight. She had always been a woman who enjoyed having work to turn her hands to, happy to fall into the role of provider for the little family she was proud to have accompanied here.

The cabin was rustic but cozy and warm, as Marissa had said. It was obvious that either someone had lived here recently or had prepared it in advance and in anticipation of their visit. It was more than likely the latter, since it seemed Marissa had thought of nearly everything. "You can let the black go. This place is warded. He won't go far," she explained further as she moved up the stairs to the porch, turning back to see the curious looks on all their faces. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do," she told them. "For now, you will just have to trust me."

Glancing at Duncan, Mara nodded, prepared to follow along with anything so long as he was comfortable with it. It was taking all her strength not to limp in front of Rob, not wanting her son to worry about her now that he was finally calm, but she had to lean heavily on the railing to mount the stairs in Marissa's wake.

Rob hung back, tugging on Duncan's hand. "Papa ....is this our new home?"

Duncan noticed the limp, but didn't want to startle Rob by picking his mother up bodily and carrying her inside. He was about to let go of the boy's hand to slide an arm around her waist and help her up the stairs when he felt Rob tugging at his hand. Duncan looked down at the boy, a thoughtful frown on his face at the question he could not quite answer just yet. "For now, lad," he told him. "For now." The horse seemed to agree with a snort and a nod of his head, and he wandered off to explore and look for something to munch on.

Marissa noticed the young woman's limp with a worried frown and seeing as Duncan was busy with Rob, she offered a hand, sliding an arm around the other woman's waist and helping her up the stairs, whether she wanted help or not. There was an inner strength in her that belied the small slim figure. She seemed to have no trouble at all taking some of Mara's weight, if she trusted her enough to let her.

Mara leaned gratefully into Marissa, glad for even a little help, hoping that whatever healing the woman knew would be enough to keep from Duncan what Leandra had been trying to do before his arrival had given her the distraction she needed to break loose and fight back. "Thank you," she murmured gratefully to the woman, trusting her a little more easily now they were safe once again.

"Marissa is dealing with it," she told him softly, raising her hand to touch his arm gently. It was a little disturbing how she had managed to walk normally on it through sheer force of will, betraying years of pretending not to be as battered as she had inevitably been. Her fingers brushed over the bloodstain on his sleeve gently. "May I see?"

"So I heard," he grumbled back, having to put his trust in Marissa again. He knew a little about healing, but mostly battle wounds - field medicine, they called it. There was no magic in him, and he was no 'mancer, as they called mages back home. He gaze darted to his own bloodied arm. "It's nothing, Mara. I've had worse." He had yet to take a good look at his own wound, but he could tell from the pain that it had been a clean cut. Though deep, all it really needed was a good cleaning and stitching and some time to heal. He wasn't so sure about her ankle.

Her eyes hardened, warning him against trying to pretend he was not as injured as she thought he was. "Would you like to rephrase that?" she offered him an opportunity to back down with dignity. "I don't need to be coddled, Duncan. I've seen far worse, trust me." Usually inflicted on her own self, but he didn't need to know the detail of Stefan's cruelties. It was over now, only visible in the scars left on her skin.

The scars had told him enough of Stefan's cruelty, but she had not been completely forthcoming about those scars just yet, nor had he about his own. Darkness hid more than just their scars; it also helped hide the guilt and the pain and the remorse. "It's nothing that won't heal," he said, drawing his hand away from the torn flesh, which looked worse than even he had thought. Thankfully, the sword had not cut so deep that he'd lose use of the arm, but it was serious enough that it would need stitches.

She reached up to cradle his arm in her hands, drawing him to sit beside her as she gently parted the torn cloth to look over the injury. "I'm sorry you had to kill him like that," she murmured, her voice low enough not to travel to Rob's ears. The child did not need to know that Stefan and Leandra were dead at his parents' hands. Her throat tightened at the reminder that she had killed with her bare hands. "I know it doesn't sit well with you, love."

"It sits with me fine," Duncan replied, reluctantly taking a seat beside her, letting her look over his arm as he had her ankle, a stubborn set to his jaw. If it caused him any pain, he didn't show it, except for that clench to his jaw and a slight tensing of muscles.

Marissa stood in the doorway, quietly watching as the pair tended to each other's wounds, not really wanting to intrude or interfere. "Rob," she called softly as she returned, carrying a bowl of warm water, a bag of herbs and supplies hanging over one arm. There were easier ways of healing - ways that would likely shock them both - but their wounds weren't that serious, and she thought a little old-fashioned healing would suffice. "Can you go help Elise in the kitchen" She needs help peeling vegetables." It wasn't really true, but she didn't want to boy to have to witness her working on his parents.

The little boy looked up from where he was playing with the wolf, blinking his bright eyes warmly as he scrambled to his feet. He nodded, looking over at his parents briefly before scampering into the kitchen. Elise had been a constant in his life since the day he was born; she wouldn't mind taking him under her wing for a little while, until his parents had been seen to.

Mara watched as Rob slipped out, looking up at Duncan with a faint hint of a smile. "You need to stop lying to me," she told him gently. "You haven't changed so very much, Mal. Stabbing a man in the back is never going to sit with you comfortably, no matter how necessary it was."

"What does it matter?" he countered, not angry but not wanting to argue about something that couldn't be changed. "If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed you. He deserved what he got. He was a coward and he died a coward's death," Duncan pointed out just as stubbornly. No, he would have preferred a fair fight, but when had Stefan Del Sol ever fought fair" The wound in Duncan's arm was proof of that, as were each and every one of Mara's scars. It might have taken seven years, but Duncan had his vengeance. It was over, and that was all that mattered.

"It matters because it bothers you," she told him quietly, just as stubborn in her own way. Besides, talking about his actions kept her mind from dwelling on her own. She drew her hand back from his wound, sighing softly. "I don't want to argue, Duncan. I love you. I've always loved you, and with that comes the worry about you. You're not going to be able to hide from it."

"He chose his own fate long ago, Mara. Let it go. We no longer have to worry about him or Leandra. We are free to live our lives as we so choose. I promised I would take care of you and Rob, and that is what I intend to do," he insisted, sighing with her as she softened. "I love you, too." He closed the fingers of his uninjured arm around hers. "That is all that matters. You and Rob are all that matters."

Behind him, a female voice cleared her throat as if to remind them she was still there. "I can come back, if you wish," Marissa told them both.

Mara held Duncan's gaze for a long moment, needing to talk to him, but knowing that discussion could be put off a while longer. She smiled at him, her fingers squeezing his, even as she spoke for Marissa. "No, it's ....it's all right," she assured the woman, raising her eyes to her. "Talking can wait."

"This won't take long," the young woman assured them both as she approached, setting the bowl of water and herbs on the table, along with the bag. She looked at them both a long moment before moving aside to a nearby cabinet and opening a drawer. "This place once belonged to my mother. My birth mother, I mean," she explained.

"You grew up here?" Mara asked, curious about this woman who loved Duncan like a sister, despite the fact that he seemed not to know her well enough to have developed such a close relationship. Her hand turned beneath Duncan's, gently entwining her fingers with his.

"No, well....Yes and no. It's complicated. My mother died, and I was raised by....by a friend. Her closest friend in all the world." Marissa paused a moment. The story was a painful one, but it got easier with each re-telling. She was not only telling them this to gain their trust and friendship, but to distract them from their own worries. She slipped something into her hand, hiding it behind her back as she turned to face them. "I don't know what happened to my birth father. My foster father died some years ago, and my mother ventured to Dreven. That is where she met you," she said, with a nod of her head to Duncan. "This place....It is not just another world. It is the future."

Duncan had heard some of this before, but from the look on his face it still surprised him. He kept silent, however, sensing most of this explanation was for Mara, not him.

The tears in Marissa's eyes only welled deeper at Mara's words, spilling over onto her face before she brushed them quickly away. It was true - she had been alone for too long, but she had never expected them to accept her with such open arms as this. She nodded her head, unable to speak for a moment, grateful for the offer of friendship that was so sorely wanted. "There are things about me you don't know..." she started, almost as if she was ready to make any excuse for them not to want her there. She was an abomination to some, but to them, she had been a friend. "I would be happy for your friendship," she said, mostly to Mara, as she was already fairly certain of Duncan.

"I do not think these things that worry you are so very important," Mara told her gently. "You saved my life. More importantly, you saved the lives of the man I love, and my son. You have proved yourself kind, compassionate, brave, and loving. Why would I wish for that to leave my life, Marissa" I would be honored to be your friend."

"That is more than I could have ever hoped for," Marissa replied, almost forgetting that Duncan was there. When was the last time she'd had a friend such as this" She had one who was like a mother and sisters and cousins, but never a friend. She sniffled back a few more tears before remembering Duncan, laughing a little at her own folly. "Sorry, I....I forgot myself," she told him.

He smiled at the two of them, patiently waiting, feeling almost honored to have witnessed the first blossoming of a possible friendship. "It's all right. I've been waiting this long. I can wait a little longer."

Mara laughed softly at Duncan's comment, daring to brush her fingers against Marissa's cheek before she sat back, out of the way of the healing about to take place. "Ah, but you are a man, and therefore every little cut or scratch is a mortal wound threatening to carry you off to the next life," she teased him affectionately.

It seemed he might be talking about something more than the healing, but he said nothing more as Marissa held out the device, which seemed to shine a small beam of warm light against his torn flesh. Duncan chuckled at Mara's remark. "Hardly," he replied, but at least, they were laughing now, which was far better than the state of shock they'd both been in when they'd arrived. "I have had far worse hurts than this," he said, looking back at Marissa to marvel over the way his flesh was mending right before his eyes. "It is magic," he said quietly, in obvious awe.

Mara's eyes were fixed on the astonishing sight of Duncan's flesh drawing itself back together again beneath Marissa's attentions. "It is wondrous," she agreed with Duncan softly, no less amazed now she had seen just how her own injury had been put right. "You must be highly skilled."

"Not really, but I'll explain all that later." Her own wounds were a different story, but it was too complicated to explain all that now. "You'll be safe here, but you're not prisoners. You can explore all you like. I'll explain more in a few days, and you can decide what you'd like to do. But for now, you should just rest and get reacquainted. Try not to worry. Everything will be okay," Marissa told them both gently, before moving to her feet. "There are a few things I need to do," she said with a soft sigh. "I'll be back in the morning."

Mara nodded, understanding that, despite the errands that needed doing, Marissa might well wish to be away from them for a little while. It must have been a little overwhelming to realize she had been accepted so easily by all of them. "Be careful, Marissa," she told the woman gently. "We will be expecting you for breakfast."

It wasn't that so much as Marissa thought they needed a little time alone as a family, and she had matters of her own to attend to. She hadn't seen her own family in some time, and she needed to check in and make sure they were well. And there were other things, always other things. She smiled at last, looking more like a child than a young woman. All she wanted was for them to be safe and happy. Hopefully, they had taken the first step toward claiming that happiness; they had been too long without it. "I'll do my best," she promised. She couldn't really do any better than that.

"Good." Mara's smile gentled at the youthful look on the other woman's face, glad to see that smile echoed. Her hand twisted into Duncan's, the other palm smoothing over his newly healed skin with soft wonder.

"Go slow. Be patient with each other. And remember to love one another," Marissa told them both softly, momentarily resting one hand against theirs before stepping away to return the little magic device to its hiding place. "I'll see you in the morning," she promised again once that was done, turning for the door.

Watching her go, Mara reflected on the advice she had given them. A small smile twitched at her lips as she glanced at Duncan. "She knows us better than we thought," she murmured. They would no doubt argue a great deal during the coming weeks, learning the differences as well as the similarities between one another. But they were together. That was what truly mattered.

"Aye," he agreed, turning back to Mara as Marissa stepped out the door. The girl was something of a mystery, but one he was thankful for. For the first time since last night - or at least, it was last night to his reckoning - he touched her face, tipping her chin up to meet his lips, kissing her gently but thoroughly the way he'd been wanting to for the last ten years.

Mara rose to his touch, willing and eager, smoothing her hand into his hair as her lips parted beneath his. There had been no time for affection since their reunion, which seemed a lifetime ago in this moment. She kissed him tenderly, daring to relax just a little of her guard to remind him how much she loved him with that one gesture.

They had yet to explore the little cabin in the woods that Marissa had brought them to. He wasn't sure what the sleeping arrangements were going to be just yet, but none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was that they were safe and together, and Duncan intended to keep things that way from now on. "We won, Mara," he whispered against her lips, fingers brushing her hair back from her face, a soft smile on his lips. "We never have to worry about Stefan or Leandra again."

She nodded, her own smile touched with guilt for her part in securing their victory. That guilt might never leave her, but she couldn't regret having acted as she had. There had been little choice in the end. "Marry me, Duncan?" she asked him softly, her voice just a little thick with emotion.

That brought a wider, warmer smile to his face, a chuckle even as she beat him to popping the question, though he had already professed his feelings and intentions the previous night. He kissed her again before carefully drawing the chain from around her neck, from which hung his mother's ring. "I'll do you one better," he told her. He unclasped the chain and slid the ring from it before dropping to one knee on the floor in front of her and reaching for her left hand. "Mara Devine, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, smiling up at her, already knowing the answer to that question.

She laughed, the sound almost alien after the day they had shared, oblivious to the curious little face peeking into the room to watch them. Sliding to the edge of her seat, she brushed her fingers over Duncan's brow tenderly. "You asked me that once before," she murmured, "and the answer hasn't changed. Of course I'll marry you, Duncan Mallory. I'm just sorry it's taken so long for us to be free to do it."

"Nae regrets, Mara," he told her quietly, just as unaware of the young boy curiously watching his parents from the kitchen. Duncan slid the ring onto Mara's finger where it properly belonged and leaned close to kiss her again, sealing the promises made long ago, once and for all. Though none of them could possibly know, except for Marissa, they had succeeded in averting more than one tragedy this day, simply by stepping through a portal to another world where no one had ever heard of Stefan Del Sol or Triad; where they were truly free to live their lives together in love and freedom as they so wished.

((So Duncan has his family safe on Rhy'Din finally. It's taken long enough!))