The Ultimate Sacrifice

By: Emma C. Greening

"With this hand, I will cast away your sorrows. Your cup will never be empty, for I…" Emily paused. She stared at Victor longingly, but she couldn't ignore Victoria's frail form cowering behind that pillar, afraid of what was going on. "For I…" She tried to force herself to say it, but no luck.

"I will be your wine." Victor finished for her, taking the goblet of poison from the table and raising it to his lips. He grimaced as he felt a burning sensation as he poured it down his throat.

Emily stared, her arms outstretched. She had been in the act of stopping him, but it was too late. He had drunk it. And now, he would be just as dead as she was. Her eyes flicked to Victoria, who was staring at the scene with wide eyes. Emily was thankful that it took a full five minutes before the poison started having its full affect.

Victor sank to his knees on the church floor, gasping. He barely looked up, as he felt thin arms around him. He glanced into Victoria's wide, dark eyes wonderingly. "Victoria?" He whispered, her face starting to grow hazy. He grabbed at his throat as he felt his breath stop. He gagged, and his chest heaved.

Victoria stared at him for a minute, clutching at his shoulders as he sank down upon the ground. He was turning an unnatural bluish hue. "Victor? Victor, wake up!" The young girl screamed, as she watched her fiancée's form grow limp in her arms. She bent over him, and shed a torrent of unhappy tears. When she'd first met him, she'd thought she'd be happy. But now he was lying, dead, in her arms. She caressed his pale cheek lovingly.

Emily smiled sadly, and wrapped her face in her veil in order to hide her emotions. She laid her non-skeleton hand on the girl's shoulder. "He wasn't mine to take. But he took himself. I tried to stop him from drinking it, but it was too late. By then, he'd already drunk it part way, and there was no going back. I'm sorry I took him, I would give him back if I could." She murmured apologetically. She turned away, as she saw Victor push himself into a sitting position. He'd hardly changed, but the dark circles under his eyes confirmed his death. Her eyes lit up, and she removed the veil from her face.

"Victor, you're alive! But why are you so cold?" Victoria drew back from him slightly, her lips parted.

He gave her a tight-lipped, melancholy smile, and rested a thin hand on her shoulder. "I-I'm dead, Victoria. Because I made a promise." He whispered solemnly, taking his hand in hers and patting it comfortingly.

Victoria paled. "B-but you can't be dead! W-we're betrothed to be married! I love you!" She shouted, grabbing hold of his ghostly sleeve.

Victor sighed, and his shoulders shook with emotion. "I made a promise." He repeated. "That I'd marry Emily. I promised her my hand, in the woods, that day I couldn't remember my lines during the rehearsal. I promised myself to her when I heard that you were engaged to Lord Barkis Bittern. There was nothing left for me, then." He said bitterly.

Victoria sat heavily on a pew, and burst into tears, Victor patting her shoulder comfortingly. Emily sighed. This wedding day, which was supposed to be a happy occasion, was blotted out with remorse.

"Elder Gutknecht, is there an answer to this? There is no way to reverse it, is there?" Emily asked desperately. The look on Victoria's face when she had found out that her betrothed was dead was one that struck Emily in the conscience, even if she had tried to stop him.

The Elder nodded wisely. "A person must be set free, to return to the upstairs world. But even then, they return to an insect state. Butterflies…beautiful little butterflies flying through the air. That would be the end of it. Unless Miss Everglot were willing to do the same, I do not see how she and Mr. Van Dort could be together."

Victor shook his head. "I could never ask Victoria to do that. The ties that bind have been broken by death parting us. What more can I say?" He turned to gaze lovingly at his used-to be fiancée, who was looking up at him hopefully, but whose face instantly became downcast at Elder Gutknecht's news. "This doesn't mean I won't come and visit, darling. I will come, and you can consult me as if I'd never left, and the marriage had gone on as planned." He desperately wanted to leave her with a comforting word, but he hardly knew what to say.

Victoria nodded her head, and drew herself up to her full height. "It doesn't matter. I ran away from Lord Barkis, and I think he'd be looking for me here. He was quiet angry that there is no money left for me to give, but I don't think he would leave me alone." She glanced up, as the man himself entered the room. She made a show of giving him a gorgeous smile and patting him on the cheek. "Why, hello darling, we were just talking about you."

"The two lovers together, I see. How very touching. But you forget, she's still my wife!" He snarled, as he drew Victoria back behind him.

"If you lay one finger on her…" Victor paused, and raised an eyebrow. If it came down to fighting, he had the advantage. Because he couldn't die. He shot Victoria a reassuring smile, just as Lord Barkis yanked the sword out of Napoleon's chest cavity.

"What, do I need to deal with you too? I suppose it's all the better. Saves me from seeing you again." He sneered threateningly, pressing the point of the sword to Victor's stomach.

Victor smiled. "Yes, you do. I'm not going to let you harm my betrothed, and…" He stopped midsentence as he felt the blade slice through him. Amazingly, it only sent a cold shudder up his spine. But there was no blood. "And as you can see, I can't die. I'm already dead. So you'll listen when I say, get out!" He couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Barkis's face as he pointed the sword back at him.

"Oh, really. Then let me drink to the Bride and Groom. To Mr. Van Dort and Emily." Barkis took what appeared to be a bottle of wine, and poured it into the gold goblet, taking a deep draught and then casting it away. He was soon leaning against the wall, turning blue.

"New arrival." The whole crowd of skeleton's roared, tripping over each other in order to "welcome" Lord Barkis to the afterlife.

Victoria turned to Victor. "I set you free from your promise. And may you be always, truly happy. But don't forget to visit me, darling." She lowered her head, in order that he shouldn't see her tears.

He placed a finger under her chin, and made her look into her eyes. "I will always come, Victoria. Do not doubt it."

Victoria looked up, to find herself alone in the church, and a large moon staring through the stained glass window. She sighed, and started ambling towards the heavy church doors. "I love you Victor, never forget me." She whispered as she passed through them. And something inside of her whispered back, "I never will."

Finis