A/N: This is written for SeBlaine Week's Day 3 prompt, which is "I Know You". This is completely AU and not related to any of the fics I've written to date. It's very different from my typical work actually, shorter and more bittersweet. I thought about turning this into a multi-chapter fic but we'll see. WARNING: Past! Character Deaths. I have a Tumblr account where I talk about my SeBlaine WIP. I'd be honored if you can follow me: rykerstrom(.)tumblr(.)com
A THOUSAND LIFETIMES
The dungeon was dark, damp and cold. He stumbled as the guards pushed him into the cell, hissing in pain as he landed painfully on his already damaged shoulder. Considering the tortures he had gone through, he might as well be dead. But they wouldn't let him die, no, not yet. Not until the execution.
"Sebastjan?"
He looked up toward the direction of the familiar voice. "Blayne!"
"Oh, god!" A figure reached out from the cell next to his. Sebastjan could see Blayne's hazel eyes looking at him with worry. "What have they done to you?"
Sebastjan crawled toward Blayne, flinching as he went. HIs limbs felt heavy from all that they'd done to him.
"Nothing I couldn't take." Sebastjan grimaced as Blayne's hand reached out through the bar and touched his face. "Are you all right?"
"They wouldn't dare to do anything." Sebastjan wished that there was something he could do to wipe away the sadness in his eyes. "I think they want to make sure I look proper when they behead me tomorrow morning."
"What a pair we'd make." Sebastjan answered drily. "You'd think they would at least try to make me look pretty as opposed to beating me up."
"This is my entire fault."
"It was never our fault." Sebastjan reached for Blayne's hand, hissing in pain as his abused fingers interlaced themselves with Blayne's. "What we had, they couldn't take it away from us."
"You're going to die because of me." Blayne smiled weakly. "They want to make an example of us. Kill the man who dares to defile the prince; kill the prince who is damaged goods."
"I would take that over the pathetic excuse called living any day." Sebastjan tried to press himself closer, but the iron bars made it difficult for more contact. "Do you regret it?"
"Never." Blayne closed his eyes. "I would do it all over again."
"Blayne?"
"Yes?" Blayne looked at Sebastian quizzically.
"Do you believe in reincarnation? A second chance?"
"I don't know. I hope there is." Blayne rested his forehead against the bars. "I want to see you again. This can't be it for us."
"I believe in them, and I promise you this ..." Sebastjan tightened his grip on Blayne's hand, in spite of the pain in his fingers. "That no matter how many lifetimes and how many years I may have to wait, be it a hundred or a thousand lifetimes, I will find you again in our next life. We'll do this all over again, and this time there'll be no one to stop us."
"I'll be there." Blayne let out a shuddered breath at that as he tried to compose himself. "I'll wait for you to find me."
"Until we meet again."
"Until we meet again."
The crowd was going wild as they waited for the public execution. It was not often that royalty member was executed. The tryst between Prince Blayne and childhood friend had become the latest scandal in the kingdom, especially at an age and society whereby such relations before marriage were forbidden, and relations between men were punishable by death.
The king wanted to make an example of the great sin that was being committed, even if it meant the death of his own son. But the king had many sons, Blayne was just another number. Another means to an end.
Sebastjan limped painfully onto the execution block. He turned around and saw Blayne was not far behind him. As rules dictated, he would be executed first. Sebastjan's heart ached at the thought that his death would be the last thing Blayne saw in his all too short life.
Rough hands pushed Sebastjan onto his knees. He almost fell over. With his hands tied painfully behind his back, it was difficult to keep a balance, especially given his injured state. Sebastjan heard the announcer detailing the crimes and felt the executioner stepping up behind him.
Sebastjan could see Blayne from where he kneeled. He mustered a small smile and mouthed "I Love You."
Hazel eyes were the last thing he saw as the axe swung down and everything turned to darkness.
Sebastian Smythe woke up with a start. It was that dream again. He had been having the same dream ever since he was a child. He never shared it with anyone. Instead, Sebastian researched dream analysis. After many tries, he decided that for all the scientific research and experiment that had been done on dreams, the findings were still as useless as they were yesterday.
Sebastian was not the most religious person in the world. But somehow, he believed that the boy in his dream did exist. As unrealistic as it sounded, Sebastian wished and longed for the day that he would meet this boy. Of course, that was many years ago. As Sebastian grew older, he had to start putting away childish things; and that meant childish notions like meeting someone from his recurring dreams.
It was seven the morning, which meant Sebastian had about half an hour to get ready before he met the Warblers for their rehearsal. He went through the daily routine of getting ready, and headed downstairs to the common room where the practice was scheduled for the day. Throughout the past week, they had been practicing "Uptown Girl", one of Sebastian's classical favorites. As Sebastian went through the steps and danced in sync with the rest of the Warblers, he noticed the door of the common room opening. There was someone standing by the door.
Sebastian's heart almost stopped.
"I believe in them, and I promise you this ... That no matter how many lifetimes and how many years I may have to wait, be it a hundred or a thousand lifetimes, I will find you again in our next life. We'll do this all over again, and this time there'll be no one to stop us."
"I'll be there. I'll wait for you to find me."
It was someone with a pair of hazel eyes, the same pair of hazel eyes that Sebastian had seen so many times in his dreams, the same pair that Sebastian would have recognized anywhere. They were the last thing Sebastian had seen a lifetime ago.
He had finally found his Blayne.
(END)
Addendum: I thought about writing a multi-chapter fic for the past life. I've always had this thing about writing an AU but it'd be labor-intensive ... Would anyone be interested though?