***Author's Notes***
Rated T for violence, and mild sexual references.
It's kind of drabbely in my opinion.
As much as I am a fan of Balia I wrote this drabble as if Bane and Talia's relationship had remained platonic (sorry Balia fans *sadface*)
This drabble was inspired by the old folk song The Parting Glass which I discovered through the Walking Dead's season 3 premiere. I listened to the song on loop while I wrote it.
Lyrics (c) The Wailin' Jennys (or whoever wrote the original folk song)
Reviews/Constructive Criticism are always welcome.
"Of all the comrades that ere I had, they're sorry for my going away,
And of all the sweethearts that ere I had , they wish me one more day to stay."
He knew this day would come; he had known it since her hips had started to widen and her chest grew full. It was paranoia that had forced the Demon's hand in the end. Bane himself would never lay his hands on a child he had hand-raised in such a way; but he only saw him as one of the animals that had taken his precious wife away from him.
Bane was sure that Ra's al Ghul would have killed him that night if Talia hadn't begged for his life to be spared. She had thrown herself on top of him; her hands and face protecting the vital areas of his throat that he was sure Ra's would have slashed clean with his katana. If Ra's wanted to kill this animal he would have to sacrifice his daughter. In the end, her voice had bought reason over the ransom of her body. Bane had shielded her from carnal brutality, and had sacrificed his health so she could escape. Also, Ra's had no physical proof that he had laid a hand on her.
He was given a half hour to pack what he needed and was cast out into the cold while large snowflakes danced on their way to the frozen earth. On any other night, Bane would have thought such weather was beautiful but the ugly truth hardened his heart as he picked his way down the mountain slope. He turned back to the Demon's fortress which was nothing but a blur against the snow and mist and thought he could make out a silhouette watching from one of the larger windows. Even though he could never know for sure; he decided it was Talia.
"Goodbye." he whispered.
The gentle snowfall hours before had quickly turned into a storm; and due to the limited time Ra's had allowed him to prepare Bane had only a ratty longcoat with a hood to protect him from the elevated winds. It was a good thing he knew the area well enough to locate a small cave to spend the night.
Bane crouched over the fire he had made and warmed his hands. Contrary to popular superstition the medicine in his mask did not numb him completely. The drug simply turned the crippling agony that ran up and down his spine into a more tolerable ache that Bane had grown so used to he barely noticed. The increased threshold was a bonus in battle although he was aware of any damage to his body.
When Bane was sure his body had warmed through he rifled through his pack to assess his situation further. He had a week's worth of food and water, enough medicine for his mask to last him two months, a blanket, an extra change of clothes, vitamin supplements, and some basic toiletries, as he continued to rifle through the rucksack he noticed a small package wrapped in brown paper buried deep at the bottom of it with trembling fingers he pulled it out and ran his hands over it. Talia had been forbidden to help Bane pack, but she had been the one who had found the rucksack for him. In his haste he hadn't noticed that there was something already in the bag she had given him.
He quickly undid the brown paper and uncovered a book: A Tale of Two Cities.
Both he and Talia would read anything they could get their hands on; a habit formed in the pit where books were often thrown down for the prisoners to use as toilet paper. When it came to literature they would often playfully argue over who would get to read what first and in this case, Talia had won. He opened the book to see Talia's hurried longhand writing on the endpaper.
I haven't yet finished it; but I thought you may like to start.
Talia
Bane's hands continued to tremble as they leafed through the pages; it occurred to him that Ra's would never allow him back. He read and reread Talia's lovely handwriting over and over before very gently closing the book. Bane ignored the heaviness of his heart and pulled his blanket over himself; watching the flames dance while he thought of his little lamb.
He wasn't sure when the riot started, all that mattered that Talia was in the middle of it and the secret of her gender was out; which made her a target. Bane barreled through two smaller men and grabbed a third by his hair; smashing him into the wall. Talia saw him amidst the chaos and ran to his side.
"No!" Bane shouted and threw another man out of the way, before pointing to the wall.
Talia glanced fearfully at the wall and back at him.
"There's no other way."
His little lamb nodded and made her way through the forest of groping hands. Bane moved behind her; striking anyone who came near. When she made it to the wall he lifted her up so she would get a head start. As she climbed upwards the horde swarmed; he retaliated viciously but there were too many and they overpowered him. He looked up and saw her perched on the ledge looking down at him. She had been expecting him to follow her but Bane knew that was never an option.
"Goodbye." He called up to her.
She leapt, and for a moment he thought she had failed but one of her small hands grasped the opposite ledge. A smile formed on his face as the men descended onto him with renewed fury. He felt fingernails rake his scalp and face, a set of teeth tore off the shell of this right ear. A shiv descended between his shoulder blades and drug upwards, then downwards. Finally, the men threw him off of the ledge and he hit the rock-bottom of the pit where he lay in agonizing bliss while he bled out.
Talia had risen that was all that mattered. It all would be over soon he was sure.
Bane was jolted awake when he felt something light on his mask. Instinctively, he smacked it away and grabbed the offending hand when he heard a soft gasp. He blinked and saw a small feminine form curled in his lap.
"Talia?" he gasped.
There she was, his little Lamb sitting in his lap with a small smile on her face.
"Hello my friend." she whispered in their native tongue.
Without thinking Bane pulled her into an embrace, his hand moving through her dark hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently gave him a chaste kiss right below his eye where skin was exposed.
"Why are you here?" Bane asked finally.
"I followed you so we may travel together." She replied.
Bane looked down at her, his brow furrowed. He knew Talia was smart but he didn't think she would do something so foolish.
"You know you can't stay with me." Bane answered her.
He felt Talia's body stiffen then begin to tremble. This only hurt him more. She pushed him away and slipped off of his lap. The lack of her warmth bought a sudden chill through his body.
"Why?" she asked, tears streamed down her cheeks."We've always been together."
Bane followed her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Your father's fears would only be realised."
She pushed his hand away, another sting. Sometimes Bane wished the mask could ease the emotional pain. He hated to see her in such distress but he knew that this was best for the both of them.
"That you defiled me in his house? That you're an insatiable animal?"
Bane nodded in response, his jaw clenching at those words, even though he knew that such accusations would come they still hurt; to know that the man who had taught him everything he now knew and stood for saw him as a monster.
"You would never... I would never..."
"Your father disagrees. There is nowhere we can go where his hand can't reach."
"He will kill you?"
Bane blinked in response and looked away.
Talia nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. She turned to face him and buried her face into his chest, her body racked with sobs. Bane wrapped his arms around her once more and rested his chin on the top of her head. He tried his best to soothe her; his gentle voice was distorted by the mechanical rattle of his mask.
"I don't want to be apart from you." She whimpered.
"It's for the best now."
Bane wasn't sure how long they remained in the cave together; Talia's head now rested on his thigh while he sat and played with her hair. The fire continued to crackle as the wind outside died down with the rising sun.
"You need to go back sometime." Bane murmured.
Talia reached up and grabbed his hand so she could play with his fingers.
"Your father has probably realised you're gone by now."
She sat up in acknowledgement of this and quietly picked her way towards his rucksack; a smaller pack was placed next to it. She shrugged the pack over her shoulders. He blinked quietly and grabbed her hands, his thumbs running along the base of her wrist. Talia lifted his hands and quietly kissed them before reaching out and touching the mouthpiece of his mask.
"Goodbye." She whispered.
Bane could only blink once more in response and swallow the lump in his throat as she picked up her pack and picked her way out of the cave. His eyes followed her until she vanished outside the mouth of the cave before his eyes fell to the fire.
"Prepare a convoy." Talia called to Barsad. "We must secure the bomb before it detonates."
Bane watched as Barsad nodded and left to gather what men remained. Talia looked up at him which caught his attention.
"Don't kill him." She said coldly. "I want him to feel the heat..."
Bane watched as she leered down at their enemy with smug accomplishment.
"...feel the fire of twelve million souls... you failed."
Mr. Wayne gaped up at her his mouth twisted in a mixture of confusion and agony which sent a surge of satisfaction through Bane's core. Talia looked up from their fallen traitor and gazed into his eyes. She slowly reached out and touched the mouthpiece of his mask. Bane's arms tensed and he resisted the urge to throw his arms around her.
"Goodbye my friend." She whispered.
Bane could only blink in response. She turned away from him and slipped out the door as Barsad followed. As she vanished beyond view Bane held in a sharp breath of pain and looked away as a sudden weight filled him.
He was going to die alone with the traitor. The traitor who had taken the most precious thing in the world that he had into his bed. Bane had not imagined it to be this way. Sudden rage filled him as he watched Mr. Wayne sitting there... kneeling... helpless.
"We both know that I have to kill you know."
With a swift kick he threw the Bat onto his back and pointed the shotgun in his face.
"You'll just have to imagine the fire-"
He was so sure of his victory he didn't hear the cannon firing behind him. He was thrown violently across the floor of the lobby and struck a wall grunting in pain. His ears were ringing; the Bat and the Cat were talking but he couldn't discern what they were saying. He tried to stand but he couldn't feel his legs... what he could feel was the warm blood oozing from the gaping hole in the curve of his back.
He lay there for what seemed like eleven hours... but was only eleven minutes. Silently prayed that Talia would not fail. He reminisced of all the times they had spent together her soft smile, those lovely blue eyes... her hands on his face. Her lips pressed right below his eye and on his hands. Tears began to stream down his face once more. Soon he could not smell or taste the gas; the world became numb. When his world began to go dark he heard the explosion. Detonation. They had succeeded.
"Goodbye, Talia, my little lamb." he thought as the rumble faded into nothing and the world became a void.
"But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise while you should not,
I will gently rise and I'll softly call, 'Good night and joy be with you all.'"