Vladimir woke when he felt the body next to him shift and turn to escape their warm haven.
"Good morning."
He greeted her with a lazy kiss as he pulled her back into his arms, refusing to let her go. Their bodies melted into each other; the heat from the previous night lingered on their skins.
"…I have a job to do, Vladimir." Vayne looked up at the man with blue eyes that were almost emotionless. She felt his hand caressing the curve of her waist, gentle and tantalizing, but she had a trained mind and iron determination.
"You have a job to do, right here." He grinned and joked.
She replied with a soft frown before returning the kiss only to flee his embrace. Her time was not to be wasted, not when the innocents are dying out there.
4 AM. She lifted her head and watched the dark clouds roam above her head. A storm is coming soon, and she must be on her way. She went back into their little house with the dried clothes she had just collected and headed to the table.
He sat there quietly with a cup of tea, a taste he had acquired from her. Vladimir was never into leaves, but ever since the first time she shared her cup with him grudgingly, he began to enjoy tea.
"It looks like it's going to rain soon. Why not call it a day?" He took a sip from the porcelain cup as he stared out the window.
"There are people in danger, Vladimir. You really expect me to sit home and play chess?" She snorted in disagreement, eyes following her hands as she deftly folded the clothes into neat piles.
"Chess isn't what I have in mind." Another sip with a smile.
She stayed quiet and quickly finished up her chores, vanishing into their bedroom and reappearing again dressed in her tight suit, crossbows and silver arrows ready.
"Don't forget to pick Morty up for the weekend," She kindly reminded him, "He doesn't want to stay in school dormitory. The kids aren't kind." A barely audible sigh slipped through her lips as she remembered how the other children would treat her son; How they would treat the son of a hemomancer.
Her son was humiliated and ostracized by others because of his talents, yet she couldn't find the time to help him and give him the motherly support he deserves. She casted a glance towards Vladimir, the father, and wished that he would offer more guidance to his child, but she knew he wouldn't. He didn't understand.
"Why don't you go then? Just grab him and bring him back." He placed the cup on the table and turned to stare at her with a playful expression. "Surely performing your motherly duties are much more important than a few lives."
Vladimir sounded so awfully indifferent that something inside her just snapped. Yet, she remained calm and squeezed out her words, almost pushing them through the spaces between her teeth.
"Vladimir, I have my work to do. I protect people against vile magicians like you, I am trying so hard to make this world a better place for our son… I think it's time for you to contribute something to this family, if we can even call this a family, instead of sitting around and pretend everything has nothing to do with you!"
Her shoulders shivered as his eyes widened at the outburst. Soon the surprise on his face was replaced by an evil look. "Oh everything has something to do with a hemomancer, Shauna. And I don't sit around, my dear. If it is your wish, I will pick up a few kills on my way to Morty, just so you see the proof that I contributed to this…family."
"…You…." Her brows furrowed, lips curving downward, trembling. Without saying more, she quickly slipped on her boots and opened the door when she heard his voice again.
"Shauna," He grabbed and held her from behind, lips brushing against the back of her neck. "A farewell kiss, perhaps?..."
She gritted her teeth in slight disgust. God knew what she was thinking when she moved in with this… this monster that walked in a man's skin. She promised herself that she would take Morty away from this man; He deserves a good family, a good father, not the monster that only cared to use them to his advantages.
"Don't worry," She turned around with a very cold look on her face, speaking calm and sarcastically, "It's not like I'm going to die."
It's not like you're going to care. About anything.
He smiled, taking her words as a harmless joke, but she had already broken herself away from him before he could land his last kiss.
It has to be here.
She traveled a good mile tracking down a faint scent of dark sorcery in the air. The rain had drenched her hair and suit, adding extra weight to her already sore body, but she persisted. No rest for the wicked, She thought to herself. If evil wasn't resting, then nor should she.
Morty… She let her thoughts roam and carry the image of her beautiful boy through her mind. He was the sole reason for her to remain at the hemomancer's side and continue pretending to be happy. Her baby boy, who had unfortunately inherited his father's gifts in blood magic, needed her. The way he smiled shyly and how his fluffy white hair shone under sunlight was so beautiful, it broke her heart every time he called her Mommy, so carefree and oblivious to the darker side of humanity.
She never trusted anyone, and till this day she still didn't trust Vladimir. She was convinced that as soon as he had the chance, he would corrupt her innocent boy with his morbid ways, but there wasn't much choice. If she was to take Morty away from Vladimir, the boy would have no control over the dark powers he possessed, and she feared for his fate.
And so she lingered at Vladimir's side, for Morty.
She did this all for her baby. She loved him, so much.
A broken shack appeared in front of her as the reek of black magic peaked. She posed herself ready for battle, as soundless as one could be in the pouring rain. Her thoughts were still busy as she tried to redirect her attention to the task at hand.
She made a slide behind a tree as she sneaked closer to the shack, detecting the source of magic radiating from within. She loaded her arrow and prepared.
"Who are you?"
She flinched at the sound and swiftly turned back, her heart raced as her arrow locked onto a young boy. In that instance she relaxed and even lowered her crossbow arm a bit. She was going to talk to him.
She was going to talk to him, but he wasn't.
And in that instance, the blink of an eye, the boy conjured an impressive piece of ice shard between his hands. He whispered the spell and as it ended, the shard was sent hurling at her.
A gasp escaped her as she felt something shot through her chest. She looked down, the ice shard lodged into her heart, its crystal surface glittered with raindrops. She fell forward, but managed to fall on her knees instead of collapsing. How could she have not sensed the boy? Even now as she stared at him, she could not feel the presence of any evil emitting from him.
"Cain what happened?" Another voice approached, she lifted her head to see an even younger boy standing next to her attacker. "Who is s-she?"
The expression on her attacker was a mixture of excitement and fear, the boy looked at his brother and smiled, "Just an intruder, don't worry! I will protect you from harm."
H-How… She listened as her heart sunk. The boys looked only a few years older than her Morty, and they smiled to each other so happily, as if it was a great achievement. The boys looked back at her, their joy blinded them as they could not see the sorrow, hopelessness and plea in her eyes.
Is this…the future of Valoran….? Is this the future that I have failed to change…?
How can this…be?...
She leaned further down, now falling onto her elbows. The ice shard had melted, leaving a horrific hole in her chest bleeding out endlessly. Blood pooled and mixed with puddles of rainwater, darkening the grass around her. The boys moved closer, she had no more strength left to retaliate. She was so helpless to whatever will come next.
"Dad's going to be proud of us, Cain!" The little one exclaimed.
"Yeah, proud of me, more likely!" A laughter could be heard from both of them as they passed her and went for the shack. They were so happy, in their voices not a hint or tinge of guilt.
Her eyelids grew heavier and her nose grew sore, something warm slid down and shielded her face from the cold touch of the rain. She finally flipped over and lay down, gazing into the skies above as more tears streamed down her face. It hurt so much, so much more than she had expected. She told herself, Breathe in, breathe out… just breathe in…and breathe out.
Mortimer… She opened her mouth, catching a few drops from the sky as her voice refused to come out. Morty…
In her darkening vision she saw her beautiful boy smiling at her, waving, beckoning her to his side.
Morty... I can't.
Mommy's so sorry…so sorry.
"Take this." She remembers him presenting the small ruby ring, catching her completely off guard.
"…What are you doing?" She frowns.
"Ah, consider it…. A gift. Its true purpose is for the convenience of locating you, really. Just in case one day you decide to sneak up on me with a lethal attack." Vladimir grins.
She snorts and takes the small thing. Upon close inspection the center piece isn't a ruby; it is an enigma of what seems to be flowing blood.
"Vladimir," She doesn't look amused. "What is this?"
He chuckles. "Some of my blood, so I may track it."
"How clever of you." She says, uninterested, and places the ring on the nearest table, "Get that thing away from me."
Surprisingly, he does as told, but immediately showing her the ring on his own finger after.
She cocks her eyebrow. It looks almost identical to the previous one.
"I figured you'd not cooperate, therefore I had made precautions." He grins. The blood inside the ring shifts and flows.
"This one contains your blood, but ah, what a shame that you lack the necessary magical skills to track me."
She pouts and walks away. The hemomancer is wasting her time as usual. She will not let his unpleasant jokes distract her from her job.
She remembers being six and dreaming about her wedding day.
She sighs and let none of the rejected ring exchange bother her.
"Daddy, my essence is bigger now!" Morty chirped and played with the blob of floating blood. The latter responded with a glow every time he touched it.
"Daddy, thank you for teaching the bullies a lesson…they really deserved it!"
"…Daddy what are you doing?"
Hearing no reply, the white-haired boy approached his father curiously.
"Daddy?..."
On his father's face was a mixture of disbelief and silent rage. Morty followed his gaze and found the ring on his finger. He noted the change in that pretty little thing… he remembered it being red and lively. Now it was less vibrant, the color seemed to fade a little and sometimes disappear completely for a second.
"Daddy, what is-"
"Stay home, lock the doors and windows. And do not open the door until I come back. Use magic if you must." Vladimir grabbed his coat and stormed into the pouring rain.
Running as fast as he could through the woods at the direction of the weakening pulse, he lifted his hand to check on the ring from time to time; each time the red glowed weaker and weaker, now it was on the verge of disappearance.
It's not real, He fought back his ridiculous speculations, She is alright, she will be. She's just always had a weak pulse. It could have been a bad fight. Nothing she can't handle.
He raced his own quickening heartbeat to the shack, pausing as he saw her figure on the ground from afar. He rushed to her side, trying to seize the last whisper of her pulse, but it snapped right before he could shelter her in his arms as the blood in his ring vaporized and faded forever.
"Shauna!" He look into her lifeless blue eyes, her sorrowful gaze seemed to be looking at him, making him believe for a moment that she was still with him. "Shauna, I'm here."
A cold breeze was sent his way as the rain kept pouring, but it was not enough to make him shudder. He only shivered as his fingers caressed her dead, pale cheeks. She had no more blood in her; bled out, not even a single drop in which he could collect and hopefully save her with. His fingers wandered south and ghostly traced the rim of her grievous wound; He had killed hundreds in such fashion before, but he never thought one day she would die the same way by another's hand.
He looked down and saw the darkened grasses coated by her blood. He stared emotionlessly in a trance. He felt nothing. He knew it was wrong because he should be feeling something, but he wasn't.
And then he knew, he knew that numbness meant disconnection. He had disconnected from something he held dear, he would never be the same again. When he realized what he had lost, he looked back at those beautiful eyes.
"Forgive me." He leaned down and gave her his last kiss, deeper than he had never before. "I loved you. I did."
His voice trembled as he shut her eyes. Only then he allowed tears to fall from his own.
This living hand, now warm and capable
Of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold
And in the icy silence of the tomb,
So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights
That thou wouldst wish thine own heart dry of blood
So in my veins red life might stream again,
And thou be conscience-calmed — see here it is —
I hold it towards you.
After a long while, he did not know how long, Vladimir heard voices emerging from the shack.
A father, and two sons.
His expression darkened as he carefully placed her down, rose, and walked towards them.
A/N
"This Living Hand" is a poem by John Keats, an amazing romantic poet. People interpret the poem in different ways but for me, it overflowed with sweet sorrow and hope of a man in love who realized his impending death. I figured it fit what was going on in Vayne's mind as she died, her thoughts of loved ones, particularly her son, and maybe of Vladimir. She knew her death would haunt him because as much as she hated to admit it, she always believed in his humanity, believed that he had conscience. And she held onto that thought in her final moments so to pass on peacefully knowing that her son would be taken care of.
There were many feels during the creation of this piece. I blame my good friend who RPs Vayne! It was written for the "Last Words" prompt. I decided to polish it up and post it for your enjoyment while my *cough* other stories *cough* are under construction. A shoutout to Beauty-Half-Betrayed, whom from time to time nudged me and showed me amazing support, this one's for you! Thank you all for sticking around, love you much and see you soon.