She was laughing, cackling, yanking her sword from the genlock. It slid off with a sickeningly wet sound and collapsed at her feet, and still she laughed, stabbing down.
"Keiara? It is dead now," Zevran said to her, before putting his hand on her shoulder. The light around them was dim, so dim, down in the Deep Roads, their discarded torches flickering shadows on the tunnel walls, and for a moment Zevran thought she had forgotten him again.
"You should go," she said, and her voice was hoarse. "We've cut a path. You should go. Leave me."
"I cannot."
She whirled on him then, pointing the dagger in her left hand at his chest. "Leave, Zevran. Go. There is no reason for you to die down here, with me."
Carefully he raised his hand, gripped her wrist and pointed the dagger away. "All men die, cara. All women die. I want to die with you."
She laughed again, twirled around, raised her blades. "We're going to die, Zevran!"
His throat felt tight and it felt like his heart was breaking, just a little bit. "Yes." Zevran had no fear of death; death happened. But this was his Warden, his friend, his partner. Twenty years, they had fought side-by-side. She had taken him into the Deep Roads. She had taken him into the Circle Tower. She had taken him into the Brecilian Forest. She had taken him to face the old regent, and against the archdemon. She had come to Antiva to find him, to make good on his proposal to her, when he did not return quickly enough to Amaranthine to suit her purposes. She had helped him slaughter the Crows left and right, her jaw always set, grim determination. She had given him a life that he had never imagined before, and when he had asked to come again with her to the Deep Roads, she did not deny him. He did not fear his own death, and he could not stop her death, but he did not want to die away from her.
She started at a sound, and sprinted away from him quickly. The best he could do was try to keep up; a lifetime of hard living had crept up on him, and her tainted blood had crept up on her. That they had made it this far into the Deep Roads was something of a miracle. Past the Anvil, slaughtering the darkspawn left and right, always by her side.
"Cara," he called out, and she paused for a moment as if listening to him before darting ahead again, laughing like a child. "Keiara, let us rest, yes? For a moment." He heard her footsteps slow and saw her shadow against the wall as she started back towards him.
"We can rest," she said, and settled back against the wall, setting her blades to the side. He settled down beside her, slipping an arm around her and pulling her close against him. He hoped this lucidity would last, just for a little while.
"Tell me of this duty, my Warden. To come into the Deep Roads and die while killing darkspawn. Most noble, yes?"
"That's what they tell me," she replied. Keiara sounded tired, so tired. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her tapered ear. "Noble deaths. Come to the Deep Roads. Kill darkspawn. Die. For the Grey Wardens! Huzzah!"
"I am afraid we will not last down here much longer."
"Go, Zevran. Go. Leave me."
"This I cannot do. I made a promise, yes?"
"I released you from that. I remember doing it. I remember releasing you from your oath, and telling you can go whenever you want to."
"Ah, the promise was not to you, amor. And since I am not gone, I must not want to go, yes?" He rested his chin on the top of her head. "Besides, what better way than to go out in flames, together, yes? You and I. We have always fought, side-by-side. I would have it no other way."
"Do we have any more water?" She was relaxing against him. How many times had he held her like this?
"Indeed we do, Warden." He slid his arm from behind her but let her stay against him as he searched through his pack, pulling out the last water skin. He had waited too long to get it out, but he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, even if it was down here, where no elves were meant to be. He uncapped it and handed it to her, and she took several long drinks before handing it back to him. He closed his eyes before finishing off what remained himself, tossing it to the ground and pulling her against him.
"May I hold you one last time, Keiara?"
She sighed and tilted her head towards him, pressed her lips against his. "You can hold me for the rest of my life," she said, and then closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
He had promised himself, and she had promised the Wardens, but he would help them keep their promises in his own way. Her breathing slowed, slowed, and her heartbeat, and he felt himself fall drowsy and held onto her as tightly as he could. Eventually, the torches flickered, and went out.