Natalia watched Axton as he tried to stand without her help. It looked like he was in a lot of pain, and she wondered if things would be different if she had let the love she felt for him take over on that night.
 
"Axton, I can help you."
 
"No. I do not want your help. How am I to wait for you on our wedding, then?"
 
Natalia sighed and blinked back tears. "You do not have to try so hard."
 
He laughed. "I do. It is for you." He pushed himself off the bed, depending mostly on his right hand and right leg. "I feel like I have not done a lot for you. You are the one who fell in love with me."
 
He finally pushed himself off, and landed on his right leg, but he lost balance and fell to the floor.
 
"Axton." Natalia ran over to the other side and went to her knees.
 
He was laughing and she held his head up and hugged him tight.
 
"This is funny," He said and sniffed, then laughed again.
 
"Please, that is enough. Please. Do not go overboard anymore. I do not care if we get married while you are lying on the bed…I do not care if I have to be the one to reach out to kiss you...just don't make yourself suffer so much."
 
He laughed and blinked rapidly, then laughed again. She slowly released him, her hand sipping his face. He looked up at her.
 
"Yes?"
 
"You are still beautiful to me. Without trying so hard, Axton. I promise you."
 
He nodded, then looked down at himself. "Instead of...making myself better for you, I just succeeded in causing more work for you."
 
She shook her head. "I do not care. I really do not."
 
Slowly, with a lot of effort, she helped him back on the bed, then tucked him in.
 
"I will get some rest, so Natalia, you do not have to stay here."
 
The silence was deafening when she walked out, and he found himself struggling even harder to keep the tears in check.
 
Natalia trudged through the forest path, Beta Scott following right behind her. She was wearing a red cloak with a giant hoodie over it that covered most of her face.
 
"You really think you know who can help?"
 
"It is not a person. I need to save Axton." She said simply and trudged forward, her lips set in a straight, resolute manner.
 
"So what do you intend to do?"
 
"There is no way my father is completely ignorant of what to do. There is simply no way. I think my mother made another spell right before she died. Father took me away before she did. I would not put it past her to do another, seeing how I survived."
 
"So..." Beta Scott said, demonstrating with his hand. "You are saying that your mother wanted him to kill you just so he never heals?"
 
"Yes."
 
"And when that did not happen, she made a different spell to keep his healing locked someplace else? That is why you were able to heal him at first, but now you can not? Because the new spell is stronger?"
 
She nodded positive, and continued on her path.
 
"Your mother has to be one of the most..." He trailed off, then slapped his lip. "Sorry."
 
"She is the absolute worst, I know." Soon enough, the old cottage came to view.
 
The gardens she had loved running around in were now filled with flowers. The house looked abandoned and desolate, but it did not faze her.
 
She walked to it, stopping only in front of the door.
 
"What do you intend to do when you get there?"
 
"I need to search the place. Maybe a clue will surface. Something to put him out of his misery."
 
"I would like that too," Beta Scott murmured to himself, before opening the door.
 
She walked in, and with trained feet, went to the small window and opened it. The small rays remaining of the sunset was not enough to illuminate the room, just enough to let her find a lamp.
 
She found it where they always kept it, and she put it on, then without stopping, turned to her father's sanctuary.
 
She had never been there before, and it scared her a little. Her need to free Axton was greater, however.
 
She pushed the door open and walked in, her lamp illuminating the room.
 
"This place is...strange."
 
She nodded, and kept the  lamp on the long table. She leaned forward, pulling the first drawer open. She checked through the books and papers there, but there was nothing.
 
She pulled the other books, throwing them out when she found nothing, till she was completely surrounded by books.
 
"Take it easy," Beta Scott said. She didn't bother answering him and just continued to check.
 
"There is nothing here." She told him finally, then laid back on the pile.
 
"Have you checked the safe over there?"
 
"What safe?"
 
"The one over there," He pointed towards a small brown colored safe tucked very close to the chair.
 
She crawled to it and pulled it out, then settled back into the pile.
 
"Let me open it." He collected the safe, then looked around for a sharp thing to penetrate the lock with.
 
He opened it, and removed the lock, then turned the open safe back to her. There was only a single paper in there, and she brought it out.
 
"I did it for Natalia." She read and looked up to Beta Scott.
 
"What else does it say?"
 
She looked down at the paper again and read it. Beta Scott watched, every word she read in the letter bringing tears to her eyes.
 
"What is wrong, Natalia? What is wrong?"
 
She swallowed, then gave him the letter.
 
He collected it, his eyes taking her in. Slowly, he looked at the paper.
 
He read it silently, then bit down on his lip.
 
"As per Selina's translation spell...only Natalia's death can set him free?" He looked up to her as she nodded.