Huzzah, I'm alive!
Pairing: RathWil, implied RebeccaLowen.
All characters except Alihi (c) Nintendo
"Eliwood, are you alright?"
"I'm so sorry about what happened, Lord Eliwood."
"… Lord Eliwood."
It. Makes. Me. Sick. Sure, I'm normally the happy, cheery person, but all the attention Lord Eliwood is getting is making me so damn angry. I have no good reason to be angry, either! I mean, his father, Lord Elbert, died infront of his eyes! At the same time, I can't help but feel nausea. I can barely keep control of myself these days…I want to just scream… Before Rebecca could meet her beloved brother again, the very one I stole away, she died… protecting me. The shot she blocked wouldn't have killed me, either! She was just so tired, so wounded, so beat up… the simple Thunder from that typical mage silenced her heart forever. Few gave me sympathy, and few mourned with me, with the exceptions of her boyfriend Lowen, Lady Lyndis, and Alihi; the rest just gave me quick glances, hoping that will speak words.
And then… oh, Elimine, I had found Dan, only to let him meet the same forsaken fate as Rebecca! I went too far into the fog, and a cavalier caught me off-guard… "Dart" didn't have the speed to attack twice, and suffered. I begged Alihi for a break, which she thankfully granted. But that one-battle-rest was not enough to mend my fractured heart. Rebecca smiling her warm and bright smile, Dan laughing cheerfully… the memories of the tiny village in Pherae rushed back to me, forgotten but now unearthed. Not one person pays much attention to me these days, with a new celebrity by death. Not even Lady Lyndis or Lowen spare me a second glance now. I… I need someone, anyone willing to hold me tight, whispering words to heal my inner wounds.
The boat gently rocked back and forth; Nils quietly sighed in the bunk above my own. I exhaled heavily, letting the newly released tears roll down my cheeks.
"Wil? Are you alright?" Nils' head peered down at me, concern filling his crimson eyes.
"Y…yeah…" My voice was surprisingly shaky to me, laced with sadness and doubt. Nils slowly descended the wooden ladder, pulling out his signature golden flute. The bard took a deep breath, and then started to play a tune, swaying with the music. The notes were fast and slow, energetic and low, staccato and connected. My eyes slowly began to droop. The melody spoke of sorrow, and the possibility of hope. I cracked a genuine smile, the first one in a long time. I felt my conscious weaken and my mind settle as I drifted towards the beckoning darkness.
"Thank you…"
--
"Rath!" My face spread into the bright grin I was famous for. "I missed you so much!"
"… Wil." He gently but at the same time forcefully pulled me into an embrace. At first all I could feel is shock, but eventually my body relaxed enough to return the hug. My heart leaped for joy; I had the one I wanted most.
"…Rath…"
"Wil…" The scene changed to a dark forest, with virtually no light. Rath was still in my arms, but something was different; something was wrong. I felt a substance on my arms; it was the shade of red that made my heart sink. I allowed myself to look at the body; arrows were stuck into him, and he was covered with blood. His blood. The nomad breathed heavily, barely clinging onto life.
"…Rath?" He held my hand tightly in his, the grip slowly loosening. His eyes gazed into mine; his image changed. I felt a lump in my throat. "Rebecca…" Again the person changed. "D-Dan…" I dared not look at the dying person in my arms.
"…Wil…" Despite my mind's orders, my eyes wandered down; the being was Rath once again.
"Rath… why?" My tears hit his face with tiny plops. He let out a pained sigh.
"… I… I love you…" My eyes widened.
"… What? Rath… please, Rath… say it again…" No response. His hand felt frozen against mine. I felt my mind snap. "… Rath?Rath. Rath! This-this isn't funny, Rath… Rath… respond. Please, I beg of you. Rath. Rath! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!"
--
I woke up with a start, screams caught in my throat, tears dried to my face. "It was just a dream…" I muttered to myself. I could only assume it was late at night; Nils' private performance occurred early. I slipped on my boots and closed the door behind me, careful not to wake the sleeping bard. I sighed softly, and went up to the deck.
The sky was dark and clear, painted with bright stars and a crescent moon; just like the first night with Rath. I laid my back against the wooden deck, staring at the constellations with tear-blurred eyes; the dream was much too real to be only a dream. I don't want Rath to die just for me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my three best friends died because of my foolishness. If I knew that would happen, I'd make him leave. And yet… More than anything in the world, I want him by my side, the one and only person who can help me recover. I laughed quietly to myself. "Look at me… I'm a wreck…" The restrained tears slid out of my eyes.
I want him.
I don't want him.
I need him.
I don't need him.
I love him.