Blasted Past: Part Eighteen

"You!" Sparrowhawk gasped, a small, cute sound. Ms. Madison smiled, finding the masked girl actually quite sweet. She still could not bring herself to believe Sir Richard Arcos' story about Sparrowhawk's being a great deal older than she seemed.

"I could say the same thing, Sparrowhawk." The Green Man took a step forward. "You look exactly the same as you did the first time we met. And very well, of course."

"All the better for seeing you..." the blonde smiled sweetly at the menacing figure in green. "Say, do you remember...?"

Ms. Madison looked from the lovely heroine to the Green Man, her expression one of deep concern. She shook her head, before looking back to the elegant figure of Sir Richard Arcos. He shook his head as well, looking up to the ceiling with an expression of world-weariness that Ms. Madison suspected was a pose.

"Of course I remember," the Green Man nodded. "I have lived with that memory for almost a decade, Sparrowhawk. But for me, that is the past. I know that for you it was only last night..."

"There's another, isn't there?" Hawkie looked at the Green Man with huge blue eyes. There was an air of loneliness about the masked blonde. "I've been away too long, haven't I?"

Sir Richard moved to the side of the girl in leather, putting an arm around her shoulders, his expression kind and definitely fatherly. She looked up at him, and Ms. Madison found herself a little more able to believe that this strange girl was the daughter of Sir Richard Arcos.

"It's part of the life you chose when you put on that mask, darling," Sir Richard smiled tenderly. "We have to learn to hold all things lightly. To let people go when we have to. She's a nice lassie, and we all thought you were gone. There's only so long a chap can wait, my dear. Even the best of men."

Sparrowhawk nodded, mute.

"You're right of course, daddy," she sniffed a little, "but it's still difficult letting go. It still hurts me, daddy - hurts a lot."

"I know," Sir Richard rubbed her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "But we'll have to see. Now, shall we find the bad guys and biff them on the bean?"