Written for QLFC, Round Ten
Falmouth Falcons, Seeker
Mandatory: Soapies: Write about a character winning the lottery and changing their identity because of it.
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This also is written for a few Hogwarts (where I am a Slytherin) Writing Club prompts. Those can be found at the end of the fic.
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Real talk time. I'm feeling pretty crappy. Like... actually really crappy. I kinda just wanna sleep forever and not have to deal with life or people or pain (seriously, EDS is kicking me so hard right now. I'm in so much pain and it sucks)
But enough of that..
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Love Kyrie for being awesome. I had a really bad week last week, so when she said we could postpone our competition and go head to head, just us two Seekers, at a later date, I kinda cried? Thanks Kyrie. You are the best.
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Also... really quickly... thanks my beloved for always being there to beta for me, and for helping Kyrie and I figure out how to make this a fair Seekers comp WHILST beta'ing for each other XD (a friendly, happy competition where you help your opponent is the best). You are ALSO the best.
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So much is the best right now... can you tell I'm tired?
Enough of this stressful rambling... Have a fic
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Warnings: Character death (slightly described) and depression (mostly implied?)
Word count (excluding AN): 1117
The Gods' Lottery
Lily Luna felt her stomach drop as her husband showed her the tiny slip of paper with a large black dot on it. Teddy Lupin, a usually carefree, happy, and boisterous individual, had become quiet and withdrawn. He looked as frightened as Lily Luna felt.
Murmurs of relief spread through the crowd as each person unfolded their paper to find it blank; they were each safe for another year. Not Teddy. Teddy was to be sacrificed to the gods. He drew the black circle. He was going to die.
Lily Luna screamed.
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"Have you thought about running?" Lily Luna asked softly as she carefully plaited her long, red hair, her eyes flickering up to her husband who was slowly tying up the front of his tunic. Her question was asked casually, as if it was just a question and not a plea for Teddy to run—for Teddy to dishonor himself and the entire village.
The drawing had been early that morning, and everyone had been sent home to prepare for the feast that evening. Teddy had not said one word since they had reached their small home, and his silence scared Lily Luna. They had only been married for a single year, but she had known Teddy her entire life, and he was never silent.
"I won't run," he said quietly, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. Lily Luna almost wished he hadn't said anything; the weight of his voice broke her heart.
Looking back into her grimy mirror, Lily Luna tied her plait off with a light-green ribbon. She knew that she must look pretty in her colorful festival dress, but she wished she were wearing black. Teddy wouldn't run. Teddy had too much honor. Teddy would die.
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"We are celebrating you!" Kingsley Shacklebolt said excitedly as he began to lead Teddy to the village square. The councilman ignored Lily Luna, who trailed behind quietly.
Teddy nodded. "It's a bit daunting," He murmured softly, his shoulders slightly slumped. It was obvious that he was trying to remain straight and strong, but Lily Luna could see his fear and horror in the way his hands shook.
"It's an honor, to be sacrificed to the gods. What happens tonight will keep us safe for another year. You're quite lucky," Kingsley stated.
They were nearing the festivities, the joyous music piercing and horrible to Lily Luna, but they were traditional. The entire lottery was traditional.
"I am about to die. How am I the lucky one?" Teddy asked quietly. Kingsley didn't hear, or, if he did, he pretended not to. Lily Luna definitely heard, however, and she reached her hand forward, slipping her fingers through his.
She had known Teddy her whole life, and now he was going to die.
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The celebrations lasted a week, as was customary, and Teddy did not smile once through them. He didn't even smile when he and Lily Luna went home, no matter how hard she tried to bring one to his lips. She couldn't remember a single day where her husband hadn't smiled in all the years that she had known him. This beautiful man, who had lost his father to the lottery before he was born, and his mother to it just weeks before he turned one, had always been happy—he had always been optimistic and bright.
He wasn't anymore.
In that last week, he had been withdrawn, eyes staring at nothing. He wouldn't even make love to Lily Luna; he just held her close to his chest, the shake of his hands becoming more violent.
Teddy was going to die, and the last she would know of him would be the steady droop of his shoulders.
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"Are you sure you don't want to run?" Lily Luna asked as she tied up the front of his white tunic, the tunic he would be burned in. His hands had been shaking too badly to manage the small strings.
"I won't run," he said, repeating their brief conversation from the week prior. His amber eyes were dull, and Lily Luna had to look away, her hands dropping after tying up the last of his strings.
"Little flower of the moon," Teddy said softly, his warm hand cupping her cheek. The nickname had been a joke the first time he had said it, but it brought more comfort in that moment than she could ever say. She hadn't realized she had begun to cry until his thumb swiped under her eye. She could feel the tremor in his hand pushing against her cheek, but she still leaned into his touch.
Slowly, he guided her face to look up at him, and she complied, blinking rapidly when she saw that he had begun to cry as well. "I love you so much," he whispered before leaning down to brush their lips together. A choked sob left her throat, but she returned the sweet kiss, knowing this would be their last. She was going to be coming home alone tonight; Teddy was going to die.
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The prayers were chanted by the entire village as Teddy was led to the pyre by Kingsley. Lily Luna, who was given a small chair of honor at the front of the crowd, heard each word humming around her like a swarm of flies. It should have been comforting to any good wife, but to Lily Luna, it was oppressing.
She watched, tears in her eyes, as Teddy was bound to the center of the pyre with white cloth. He looked so innocent, dressed in pure white. If it weren't for his sunken eyes, Lily Luna could almost believe that she had been sent back to their wedding day, the ceremony that brought them together for life—she tried not to curse the gods for taking Teddy away after giving them only a year of comfort and bliss together.
The drums began to occupy the same space as the prayers, and the fire was started. It burned quickly, consuming the wood stocked up around Teddy. His screams were drowned out by the drums, but Lily Luna could feel them rattling her bones. She wanted to scream, to cry, but all she could do was watch—it was so horrifying, it almost didn't feel real.
Teddy, her Teddy, was dying, and she was watching.
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Lily Luna returned home to a cold and empty bed, her heart aching and her stomach churning. She wanted to be sick, but she also just wanted to crawl under her blankets and hold one of Teddy's tunics until she fell asleep.
Teddy had been sacrificed to the gods, they were safe for another year, but Lily Luna felt empty. Her Teddy was dead.
A/N 2.0:
Prompts:
Showtime #2: (emotion) Frightened
Lyric Alley #13: How am I the lucky one?
Sophie's Shelf #43: Teddy/Lily Luna
Liza's Love #3: (word) Daunting
Lo's Lowdown #9: (word) Honor