Disclaimer: I don't own anything of A Great and Terrible Beauty and am not making a profit from this.
Author's note: My first fic in a while! Hope you enjoy and give me plenty of concrit! I'm sure I need it. There is just a hint of femmslash in this, but not very much.
"Mary! Can't you see that if we don't do this, we will be parted forever?"
Two girls sit on an iron bed, dressed in identical white nightgowns and holding hands. NO moonlight streams through the open windows; a chilly wind blows instead. The girl on the left, with brown eyes, and a handsome, though slightly plain face, is the one who speaks. She is staring deep into the other girl's bright green eyes. Her hands grip the other's hard, squeezing almost to the point of pain.
"But, Sarah, Eugenia said – " Mary starts to say before Sarah cuts her off.
"Do you really believe her?" Sarah scoffs. "She is taking the power away from me! She fed you lies - she wants to control us! And the realms! How c an you believe what she says?" Her chest heaves with anger and passion and the words are practically spat out of her mouth. Mary backs away from her the slightest bit, loosening her hands from that iron grip. A fit of shivering racks her body, and she isn't sure that it is from the wind.
"Sarah… Sarah, I am listening, I swear I am, but all we've ever been told is that the Winterlands are a dark place, an evil place – are you sure that this spirit can be trusted? Only the corrupted spirits go there, and they would do anything to get power. It doesn't seem right to me," says Mary, shrinking away even further. Her large eyes are filled with fear and doubt. A lump comes in her throat and Mary blinks quickly to keep the tears at bay.
"You were there, Mary," says Sarah. "You didn't see what I did." There is a strange gleam her eyes that excites and scares Mary all at once. A smile spreads across Sarah's face; she sways on the bed, consumed with the future she pictures. She continues, her voice full of rapture, "We could rule the realms, Mary. Us. Together. We could use the magic, use the runes as we liked. We could see every part of the realms, even the parts we have not been allowed to go yet. It would all be in our hands. It only takes one small sacrifice, and then we would have all the power we have ever wanted and more."
"She told you this?" Mary's voice is small now, so quiet that Sarah almost does not hear her. Still smiling, she nods her head. Mary fully escapes from Sarah's hold and slumps down, her head in her hands. Tears trickle down her cheeks.
"Sarah, there has to be another way. We can be together. I can take you…" she attempts, knowing that it is futile. Sarah slams her hand down on the bed, without care for the noise she makes.
"No. I have said it before: I will not ride on your power. It must be own." The volume rises in both Sarah's speech and Mary's sobs. Sarah stares angrily at her friend, her cheeks flushed, before coming to her senses and embracing Mary tightly.
"All I want is for use to be together," she sighs into the crying girl's ear. They rock together, Sarah stroking Mary's back, until her sobs subside. The comforts Sarah whispers seem to help – Mary's breathing returns to normal. She looks up at her friend, her face blotchy and tear-stained.
"I will do it, Sarah. I cannot be without you." Though her words are strong, Mary's voice shakes. Terror is still drawn upon her face, erased just a little, but not fully gone. Her hands tremble slightly.
A moment of silence sits in the room. The wind picks up speed, howling and whistling through the trees. Clouds still cover the moon – the darkness makes the gargoyles on the roof and the chapel, hardly visible from the window, seem even more menacing than usual. Mary pulls her gaze away from the stone creatures and shivers. But as her thoughts fall upon the Winterlands and what tortured beasts could be lurking there, the gargoyles seem the least of monsters.
"Mary," Sarah finally murmurs, "you will not regret this. You will see, I promise."
The two hug again, and Mary says, "I know. I just wish it could be different."
Sarah pulls out of the embrace and looks right at her dearest friend. Her eyes seem to pierce through Mary. Slowly, almost agonizingly slowly, Sarah leans in and kisses Mary, softly and tenderly. Almost without thinking, Mary kisses her back, feeling waves of foreign emotions pass through her. Is it love? She wonders. Fear? Shock?
Stroking her cheek, Sarah says, "I will let nothing happen to you, Mary, I swear. Everything will turn out right."
But as Mary crawls back into her cold, lonely bed, she can't help but wonder: what if it doesn't?