After a year-long hiatus I have finally managed to make a decent fanfiction that I can be possibly proud of. My writing needs more honing but I this little plot hit me upside the head while I was listening to Hero by Enrique Iglesias and being that I'm quite under the power of my muse, Muse, I made this story.
This is a Artemis/Holly fic, just to be clear.
And please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.
Summary: Heroism calls for instinct and selflessness, not thinking and self-preservation. This was probably why it was never Artemis' style.
Warning/Note: I don't know if I've included any spoilers in here but just be warned, a'right? This takes place after TTP and since TAC hasn't come out yet, I'm having fun screwing with the timeline. Bear with me. Honestly though, this should have been much shorter but Muse wouldn't let me cut it short.
Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl characters do not belong to me. I just like playing with them. No copyright infringement is intended.
Artemis Fowl II did not act the hero in most situation.
He planned, schemed and generally gave out orders for others to be the hero.
Heroes risked their lives for others. Heroes were reckless. Heroes were selfless, willing to give up everything to save either one beloved person or the world.
It was simply not Artemis' style.
Which was not to say that the young genius did not want to save people he loved or on occasion, the world, only that he usually had a plan before any kind of action and a healthy sense of self-preservation.
However, there are some situations where you aren't given time to plan, scheme or really do anything that was in a frail genius' forte. These situations called not for thinking but for instinct.
These kinds of situation were the ones Artemis hated the most but unfortunately for him, it was exactly what was happening at the moment.
When he saw the glint of the blade heading straight towards Holly's back, his brain shutdown and adrenaline and instinct kicked in.
In that moment Artemis Fowl II had done the most heroic and most senseless move he has ever done in his adolescent life.
He threw himself right in front of the blade's path.
In hindsight, he should have probably known that Holly's reflexes were above par and she would've deflected the blade but then hindsight was never very helpful during the time a certain situation was playing out.
Artemis felt only pressure as sharp metal pierced through his skin, a heartbeat later explosive pain followed.
Pain muffled what Artemis assumed was Holly screaming his name while she aimed her Neutrino at the attacker. He felt a slight breeze going past his cheek and through his blurring vision he saw the attacker fall into a slump on the ground.
Good riddance, he blearily thought. And then: Holly's safe.
With that last thought Artemis let the dark claim him.
In the conscious world, the LEPrecon captain cradled the unconscious Artemis in her arms. Other LEP officers were taking care of the minor problems and the potential disaster the past Opal Koboi had devised was finally diverted. Somewhere the pixie's shrill screams could be heard, promising that she would get her revenge. The elf captain blocked it out.
Holly grimaced as she saw where the knife had hit Artemis.
Only centimeters below the heart with the blade at an upward angle. Not a good thing.
A sudden shadow loomed over her and with quick motions she aimed Neutrino at the shadow's caster while making sure Artemis wasn't jostled.
A relieved sigh slipped past her lips when she realized it was only Butler. Relief was replaced with empathy when she saw the giant man's expression. Butler knelt next to the elf and his principal. He was reaching for Artemis when Holly stopped him.
"Wait, we can't move him suddenly. The blade's too close to his heart and I don't have enough magic to fully heal him at his current state."
Butler grunted, guilt and anxiousness now evident in his face.
"It's not your fault, Butler." Holly said, voice soft.
Butler shook his head. "Yes it is. Artemis is my principal and I should have kept a closer eye on him. I've failed him."
"No, you haven't." Holly said, steel lacing her voice even though it was still barely above a whisper. "Believe me, Artemis won't think that when he wakes up. And he will wake up."
Butler grunted. Holly understood that Butler took Artemis' safety fully on his shoulder but she knew that it really wasn't the bodyguard's fault. What Artemis did was unlike him. He didn't usually just throw himself in harm's way without some kind of complex plan rattling in his mind.
With the utmost care, Holly shifted Artemis in her arms so she could lay him down on the ground. Butler helped, supporting most of the boy's weight in his large hands.
He was trying to save me, Holly thought. Artemis was trying to be a hero. My hero.
"Don't worry," Holly whispered as she leaned down to put a chaste kiss on his forehead. "I'll save you. Just keep fighting." And with a voice softer than a whisper: "My hero."
With that, Holly pulled back and did a cursory examination of her friend.
It was going to be tedious. Holly had little magic left. She had never attempted to heal anyone with an injury this serious with only so much magic. This time she had to concentrate instead of just letting her magic do the healing. She couldn't let her magic go to waste by healing superficial wounds.
"Alright, Butler. On the count of three, you pull the knife out. And leave the rest to me." When Butler nodded she began. "One...two...three!"
Once Butler had pulled the knife out, Holly immediately positioned her fingers and said, "Heal." Blue sparks leaped over the blood gushing out of the wound as if herding it back inside. Unlike her previous healings the blue sparks didn't spread, it glowed and crackled over the wound and sunk into that specific spot.
Holly pushed every drop of her magic out, willing them to heal Artemis.
Artemis' body bucked as if shocked, smoke swirled out of the wound as it mended. Holly was holding onto her breath, waiting.
Please, please wake up, she prayed fervently in her mind.
And after seconds that felt like an eternity, Artemis's lids fluttered and lifted, revealing mismatched eyes.
With a happy cry, Holly bent over Artemis and kissed him full on the lips.
When she pulled back, she felt the heat of embarrassment creeping out but it was squashed by her relief and happiness.
"Don't do something stupid like that again, Arty." she said trying to sound upset but she sounded more tender.
Artemis gave a wry smile. "I thought my elf kissing days were over? I guess that doesn't apply when I'm going to die."
Holly gave a mock-growl and punched him in the arm. Artemis winced. The LEPrecon officer apologized but it didn't sound all that sincere. Help arrived a couple of minutes later and after a quick healing from another fairy Artemis was all better.
Artemis got a short but stern lecture from Butler about his safety and not jumping in front of lethal objects. He got a similar scolding from Holly about not being reckless.
Perhaps reckless heroism wasn't his style but when it concerned one certain LEPrecon elf, it didn't matter very much.