The ashes tumbled from her fingers, raining down onto blackened earth. Kaye Fierch studied the pattern they made, the grey on black, and remembered the bright colors of the court.
Once upon a time.
Her hair fell down into her dirty face, obscuring her view of the dirt. A soft sigh escaped bloodied lips, and she brushed the tangled strands away. She peered up at Roiben, searching for relief, but there was none in his steely gaze.
In a kingdom far, far away.
A
tear slid down, turning the ground black-black. The last color sunk
into the ground and Kaye scooped up another handful of earth. Her
world had gone black and white. She held out an arm, the pale green
contrasting with the scene. Kaye was a lost little girl who didn't
fit in the script anymore. Even if she wanted, she couldn't have
summoned the power to glamour herself right then.
"Roiben…."
He
refused to look at her, turning so all she saw was silver hair.
"Please…." She reached for his arm, long fingers curling around scarred white skin.
Roiben groaned and
pulled away. "Stay away. I don't deserve you right now. I failed
them. Again."
Damn. Stupid self-loathing Roiben. Stupid,
stupid, stupid.
"They did it to themselves. You're not responsible for anything that happened! Why won't you look at me?"
"Kaye." His voice shook, but he turned to face her.
Kaye reached out and touched his face. "Why? Why do you do this to yourself?"
"I can't let myself lose you. I need you…. I can't -"
"Idiot."
And Kaye tugged him forward, pressing her lips against his in a kiss to make up for all these past weeks without him, a kiss that should make everything better again. Her arms were tight around his neck, and he slowly returned the embrace, his mouth moving against hers. Roiben's shaking hand ran down her back, and Kaye smiled as she slowly pulled back.
"We've been over this before, you know."
"Remind me one more time."