Inkdeath: Farid and Meggie

Authors Note: It started as a feeling. I wanted Farid and Meggie to be together, but as I was writing, I finally understood what Meggie meant. I just couldn't get the words right. Anyways, I felt better having Meggie and Farid understand each other better, so I let it be. Story belongs to Cornelia Funke. Respects to her!

Resuming page 660:

Meggie looked over her shoulder. She looked long and hard over to her other—Doria. Who had always been there. Who was always loving her. She thought of his story.

And she looked, long and hard, to the beautiful Farid. "I need to know...I need to know who you love," she heard herself say.

He looked astonished. "What...what do you mean?"

"It's somehow always been Dustfinger with you, Farid. Even when he was dead."

Farid couldn't believe her. "Are...are you kidding? Meggie, I can't...I mean..." Farid had never been so torn. Dustfinger was everything to him, but surely not anymore. He was his mentor, his father, and sure, for a while, he had followed him like that...but it was Meggie who he loved.

Meggie took her hand back, and clasped it together with the other, and walked away, into the forest that always welcomed her.

"Wait!" Farid ran toward her. "I...you were right. He was everything to me. But I know now, that you matter more than anything else!" Breathless, he looked hopefully at Meggie, who closed her eyes, and thought.

After what seemed like an eternity, she said one word. "Farid." She put all her curiousity, hope, love, desperation, all her feelings in it. He moved toward her. Kissed her heavily; but Meggie turned away. Shaking her head, she looked instead at Doria.

Farid shook his head. "No, no. Meggie—I beg of you; don't kill me like this!" She sighed, but a few tears came out from under her closed eyes anyway.

"I love you. I still, truly, dearly do. But my heart seems to beat for someone else now." And Meggie turned away, toward her other. "I...wish you the best." With that, she turned, kissed him deep on his beautiful mouth, and walked away. She didn't look back, not into the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen; looking instead into the future, at Doria.

Farid watched her go silently, then turned and walked away as well, his eyes shedding tears of his own. Perhaps the tigers would like a bit to eat.