Pairing: Touchstone/Sabriel

Rating: M

Timeline: Set in between Sabriel and Lirael

Disclaimer: This is the first fanfic I ever wrote in my life. I wrote it when I was 15 when I finished reading Sabriel for the first time, and I am now deciding to translate it into english as well as adding a lot more context and situations.
I don't own nothing. All the characters and places belong to Garth Nix. I wouldn't mind owning Mogget though... I love that fur ball of irony :P

This story is now being rewritten from the first chapter on. Enjoy it.

Sabriel woke up from a restless sleep feeling a light-headed and dizzy. She opened her eyes slowly, painfully so, for the fear of still being in Death. All around there was silence, but it was not the deafening silence heard in Death, nor there was bone chilling cold that so many times had consumed her body. In that moment, there was just a simple silence of a still room and the warmth of life.

As her dark brown eyes fully opened to the brightness of the room they immediately fell on a well known face. The only face that she had wanted to see so disparately.

Upon the sight in front of her eyes, her heart started to race uncontrollably inside her chest in the same time a wave relief filled her soul, a sensation of extreme happiness that lead her to raise her arms and embrace the man in front of her. Pain shot through her body like an arrow. Every single muscle in her body ached with exhaustion in spite of the lost sleep she had just awakened from, but it was her stomach that complained the most. However, as soon as she had locked her tired arms around his neck and his large hands enveloped her smaller body, all the previous pain she felt melted away and the sensation of being protected, safe in his arms, enveloped her. In the back of her mind, her well educated school personality advised that she was close, too close to a male specimen, that it was no manner whatsoever for a well raised young woman to be that close to a man she barely knew. But then again, she had been strong for so long, and it seems that a life time had passed since she had rescued him from his wooden imprisonment, and it felt like she knew him better than anyone she had ever met in her short 18 years of existence. They stood there, entwined in a lovely embrace, as she clung to him for support, for awhile. The man was only Touchstone, same as always, with his blue grey eyes and light curly hair. His warmth was enough to warm her generally cold body again.

Their bodies broke apart allowing their eyes to meet, and thanking that everything was finally over. Her hands rested in his strong shoulders as her eyes travelled the length of his body sat in the border of her bed. She had feared for his death, and in those few seconds she had felt like her life had no purpose anymore, but in the end he had left the battle with only a broken leg, and now, there they were, reunited again in what seemed to be a hospital room.

He looked at her with relief all over his features even though his vivid eyes still shone with hints of tears.

"Are you feeling better? I was worried about you; I thought you had died." He whispered loudly enough so she was the only one hearing his confidence. His voice sounded rough in her ears due to the many emotions that crossed him, but in no way was it unwelcome, quite the contrary. Hearing his voice again was just as comforting as him embrace had been.

She could only smile at him unable to find the right words to describe the immense contentment that assaulted her.

All the adventures she had lived by his side in those few weeks were now running miles per hour in her head, the fear of fighting with the Greater Dead and her own father's death.

It didn't take long delving the recent memories for her white features become, once more, surrounded by sorrowful shadows of the past. The light in her eyes faded with the painful memories that crossed her mind.

She didn't seem to have anything else remaining in her life. She had lost her father, which had been her only family member. In a sense she had also lost Mogget, the Free Magic being who served the Abhorsens against his will, now imprisoned by Ranna the Sleepbringer, the weakest of the bells. The sleep binding was not the strongest, but even so she surely could not count on him to guide her in this new path she had to walk. She had lost some of her friends alongside the Wyverly College destruction. In the chaotic events of that night had felt her dear best friend Ellimere being swept away into the river, but not before giving her a magical Charter token that had freed her from Kerrigor's captivity. Lastly, she had almost lost Touchstone as well.

Tears started to fill her eyes and she rapidly lowered her head so he wouldn't see her weakness. It was already too late. With all the care that he felt for her, he lifted one hand and brought it to her face. He cupped her cheek with the lightest of touches and lifted her face to look deeply into her doe orbs.

Her eyes were glistening, burning with tears that fell stubbornly down her face. The sobs had started a long time ago, and muffled the words to explain the strong heart ache she felt.

"What's wrong?" He asked with fear in his voice. It hurt him to see her cry, so broken and lost. His thumb caressed her soft skin absently, without even giving a second thought about the many lines he could possibly be crossing too soon.

"I feel like I have to be strong all the time." She sobbed. "Fight the worst dangers, bring security to the ones surrounding me. That I have to swallow every feeling, sadness and pain in the process, but in reality all I want to do is cry in someone's shoulder." She finished in a stumble of sobs and words. Her hands were covering her face trying hard, but to no avail, to hide the burning tears.

He couldn't bear seeing her cry anymore. Her sobs shook through her body like sea waves in a storm and he quietly brought her to him, embraced her comfortably against his chest and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head.

She threw her arms around him, pain completely forgotten for a while, and rested her head on his shoulder crying all her sorrows until there were no more tears to fall.

All that she ever wanted in her life was to simply embrace someone and cry. She had wanted to cry for all the loneliness she ever felt, for the charge trusted upon her as a little girl, but because of pride or something else, she never did.

There she was again, being comforted for the second time in that day by the arms of the man that had become a very special friend, she felt for him an enormous care that in time became stubbornly locked in her heart. One of his hands stroked her head while his lips murmured soothing words into her ear.

She had been a simple school girl before, but now she was the Abhorsen, the one who entered Death in self-motto, the one who fought with the dead, keeping them away from entering the living realm. She never had time for much else before, not even to fall in love…

It was in that moment that they noticed many inquisitor eyes observing their actions. They looked around just to see doctors, nurses and some students that had survived. Everyone looked at the couple with affection; their eyes had comfort, fondness and comprehension written in them. They had come to see how the Abhorsen and her swordsman were feeling.

One of the doctors stepped ahead. Touchstone, a little embarrassed for being caught so intimately close to her, released her body and walked away limping on his wounded leg. She could see how flushed his face was and that made her smile a little to herself.

"How are you feeling, Miss Sabriel?" The doctor inquired.

"I'm feeling better now. The Charter marks are helping with the pain. Soon enough I'll be ready to leave, I hope." She said trying to convince the doctor, giving away her best reassuring smile.

The doctor approached her, lifted the covers and proceeded to untie the bandages around her stomach to access the wound.

"Your wound seems to be healing rapidly. You know, if it weren't for the Charter marks, you would not be here right now. I agree, in some days both of you will be able to be discharged." The doctor said, winking in her direction and finally exited the room taking with him all the staring people.

Sabriel felt tired, every muscle screaming in pain, and her eyelids were heavy with sleep. Touchstone walked once more in her direction and helped her into a more comfortable position in the bed. He then covered her tired body with the warm blankets once more.

"Sleep well." He said only above a whisper as he kissed her forehead right in the middle of her Charter mark which began to glow in a golden hue.

She was suddenly thrown into an infinite swirl of bright symbols that told a story about the beginning and the end of all existence and she felt the power in them as well as something else. The immense love that man nurtured for her poured in between the bright flow and immediately soothed her pain.

"Thank you…" She murmured in a muffled voice, thanking him for more than she could ever say, and her eyes closed as he walked away.

She indeed felt better, but an unsure future waited for her in the other side of the Wall, the one that divided Ancelstierre from the Old Kingdom in more ways than physical ones. The one kingdom to which Touchstone was to be king, the one that both of them had to keep safe from the dead.

She doesn't know what will happen from that day forward, but one thing was certain, she had to serve the king. She would have to serve Touchstone, help him rebuild the kingdom and restore the Charter, and that would keep them in the same path, close to one another.

"If only we could…" She whispered to herself before weariness took over her mind and lulled her to sleep.