A/N: So I promised myself I would never write a death fic, but seeing as this is here, I broke my promise. It was painful. I start tearing up when someone mentions my favorite characters growing old, so you can rightly assume that I was practically bawling when I wrote this. It's got a happy ending, I swear. I didn't include every character, but I tried to include most of them. Enjoy and review if you feel so inclined. I don't bite, and they make my day!
Update: So I revised this a little. A reviewer brought up the fact that I had put the names after each description and after reading it again, I decided to take them out. More or less they were there as what Alanna's mind was going over and this isn't a first person POV so they were a little out of place anyway.
Save a place for me.
-Matthew West
She wasn't supposed to be the last one. Out of all of them, she was the one who should've met the Black God first. In her eyes, they all died far too soon. Pieces had started ripping away from her heart the day of the King's Coronation. The day she died was not what she had imagined. It was not in battle or doing any type of heroic deed. It was in her bed, with her children around her, and her hand splayed out trying to clutch the hand of the man that usually laid by her side.
She was then in front of a tall, black cloaked figure who simply nodded and stepped aside to reveal another abnormally tall, black haired woman with piercing emerald eyes. This woman embraced her and whispered, "You did well, my daughter. See for yourself." The woman then stepped aside and a group of people walked forward from the shadows.
There they were.
The King with his coal black hair, bright eyes of sapphire blue, and a charm that gained him the loyalty of a realm. The man for whom she acted as champion and sword arm. The man who had first taught her how to love. The man who she might've called her husband, had he been born as just a boy and not a prince.
The Queen with her raven locks, ruby lips, and a beauty, inside and out, that went unmatched by the living or dead. The woman who reminded her that the choices she had made were the right ones. The woman who lived so gracefully a life that might've left her, herself, in chains.
The Commander with his bulky presence, laughing smile, and cheerful humor. The man who rarely angered. The man who was her friend. The man who shared her love of hiding in corners at social functions. The man who raised his sword alongside hers in countless battles.
The Prime Minister with his willing friendliness and wry words. The man who once offered to sponsor a small, fire-haired page. The man who took on the role of a desk knight and provided balance to the strong personalities that had once made up the King's inner council.
The Shang Dragon with his ever changing eyes and wandering, heroic soul. The man who had taught her that dying was not the end. The man who understood the call of adventure. The man who she had known for far too short a time, who died the most heroic death anyone could ask for.
The Sorcerer with his violet eyes, flaming hair, unfathomable potential, and love he saved for only his twin. The boy who many, many years ago agreed to an impulsive plan formed by his ten year old sister. A man who made a mistake and paid for it with his life. A man who's birthday she cried over when she should've been celebrating her own.
The Knight with his wise eyes, shaggy beard, and drunken tendencies. A man who became the father she never had. A man with wisdom beyond measure. The man who had once witnessed a page heal a prince and kept the secret she had unknowingly revealed.
The Soldier with his fierce protectiveness of two young twins who were not his own, but as good as. The man who cringed at the touch of magic. A man who taught her to wield a sword and who never raised a hand to pack his bags to leave Corus, even when she ordered him. A man who had known that she would not quit. A man who believed in her from the beginning.
The Healer with her prophetic sight that set a a pair of children on a journey that rocked the foundation of the kingdom. The woman who used vervain to confirm a destiny. The woman who taught her a precious lesson about the balance between saving lives and taking them.
The Mother with her welcome arms and home that raised the most respectable thief the world had even seen. The woman who taught her to be a lady. The woman who walked with her through markets as she tripped over her skirts and strutted like a boy. The woman who showed her that she was more than Squire Alan in a dress.
The King of Thieves turned Baron with his mischievous hazel eyes and a heart bursting with loyalty and love. The man who she called her husband and the father of her children. The man who taught her how to fight with knives and sneak in a second-story window. The man to whom she once trusted with a secret above anyone else. The man whom she still trusted with her whole heart.
The Constellation with his catlike form, bright purple eyes, and midnight black fur who walked in the realm of mortals. The divine being that watched over her from the moment the Goddess had left him scraggly and wet in her arms. The so-called cat that offered the truth even when she didn't want to hear it. The cat that saved her life.
One by one the pieces of her heart returned. The Goddess had once told her that she needn't fear love. Looking at the people arrayed out in front of her, each one holding a piece of her heart, she figured she did a pretty good job of overcoming that fear.
Here she was.
The Lioness with her violet eyes, copper hair, and fiery temper. The first lady knight in centuries. A hero of a realm. The woman who learned, above all else, to love.
