She is so happy that I could weep. Lucien, damn you. You should have been here to see this. I hope you still can, wherever that path down the mountain and into the village led. I manage to discretely dab at the corner of my eyes as Fiona whisks the cream.

"Does he still want it to be a secret? I won't tell him that you told if you don't want me to."

Oh. Oh. She does not know, and why should she? We all try so hard to make her world a happy and a lovely one, how dare death come and sully it.

I very gently coax the whisk from her hand and set the bowl to the side.

"Fiona..." Give her a watery smile as I kneel down and take her hands. "I told you that because... a bunch of us went to the Abbey to help Nanshe end the bad dreams that everyone was having. Lucien as well and ..." I take a deep breath. "Lucien died, sweetling. That's why I am so sad today. I miss him very much, and I thought telling you and seeing how happy he made you would help cheer me up. And it did." I assure her, giving her hands a quick squeeze.