Author's Note: None of this belongs to me. All belongs to Tamora Pierce,
except for the Sarah McLachlan lyrics. One shot D/N romance/tragedy.
Wait for Me?
Had it been any other day, Numair would have noticed the cool, refreshing breeze. Had it been any other day, he also would have noticed the blue sky, the warm sky, and the beauty of the first growth pushing out from long-dormant trees and plants. Any other day, but not this one. Not when he was sitting numbly in the field, rocking back and forth in anguish.
How could this happen? He asked himself for the 23rd time, as if expecting an answer from some other part of his consciousness.
He sat in the middle of the field, holding something, or rather someone, in his lap. Why did this happen? How could it happen?
Numair Salmalín sat in the middle of the field with his wife's head in his lap. Daine had stopped gasping for breath more than an hour ago, and Numair still couldn't believe what had happened.
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Pain surrounded him as he finally regained his feelings. Alone, in the middle of nowhere, he let his tears come. He cradled her head in his lap, one hand on one of hers, the other on her swollen belly. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be swept back over all of his memories with her.
He remembered everything from when he first met her to the final battle for Port Legan. He remembered his proposal when she finally said yes.
She was 18 and Numair was 32. He had been half-joking at the time. This memory came back stronger than the others had. He had woken up that day to a messenger banging on his door. He was supposed to report to Jon as soon as was humanly possible. He grumbled, changed, and found Daine was already in Jon's study.
"There are immortals in the city. I need you two there now," were the simple directions they had received.
They went down to the city to find enemy Stormwings and angry Hurrocks flying overhead. The streets were crowded with anyone who could hold a weapon, screaming civilians, crying children, and Daine called on her bird friends to help, and was halfway changed into a starling herself, when Numair screamed out from farther away, "Daine! I love you! Marry me?"
She switched back to human, right into her clothes, and saw him there.
"Ok" she whispered. Numair was startled. He had only seriously asker her to marry him about once a month, but half-jokingly asked her at least every day. She would either roll her eyes, say no or ignore it by saying that she loved him. Now she said yes, and gloriously, she would be his wife. For a few moments, all that mattered was her. He swept her into his arms despite Cloud's protests and kissed her passionately. She broke apart, laughing and crying and smiling. She shifted to a starling and within an hour, all of the immortals were flying away, terrified of the little starling who was mercilessly ripping out their throats, fighting for her love back in the city.
They were married a year later. By the time she was 21, Numair was 35, and they had been married for 2 happy years. It was then that things started to go wrong. It started when Daine learned that she was pregnant. She told Numair and they were so happy that they were going to be parents. Then Daine learned that she wouldn't be able to shape-shift while pregnant.
So now, she was 7 months along, and they had been sent to this desolate field to fight off the hurrocks that were breeding here. Numair was fiercely protective of her during their fight, and it seemed that everything would be okay. But then, one last half-dead hurrok reached out with a scream and cut Daine down. His claws created a deep wound from her left shoulder, across her back, to the right side of the back of her ribcage. She fell, blood flowing freely from the wound, just as Numair finished with what he believed to be their last opponent. He screamed the scream of a dying man, and ran to his wife. He cradled her head in his lap and kept telling her that he loved her. She struggled, then said something that broke his heart
"I love you. With my death, you shall live, but our unborn daughter will die."
"Daine! No! No. No." he started crying, and as she shuddered, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "Wait for me Daine. Wait for me?" A tear formed in her eye, and she barely nodded her head before she died.
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Wait for Me?
Had it been any other day, Numair would have noticed the cool, refreshing breeze. Had it been any other day, he also would have noticed the blue sky, the warm sky, and the beauty of the first growth pushing out from long-dormant trees and plants. Any other day, but not this one. Not when he was sitting numbly in the field, rocking back and forth in anguish.
How could this happen? He asked himself for the 23rd time, as if expecting an answer from some other part of his consciousness.
He sat in the middle of the field, holding something, or rather someone, in his lap. Why did this happen? How could it happen?
Numair Salmalín sat in the middle of the field with his wife's head in his lap. Daine had stopped gasping for breath more than an hour ago, and Numair still couldn't believe what had happened.
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Pain surrounded him as he finally regained his feelings. Alone, in the middle of nowhere, he let his tears come. He cradled her head in his lap, one hand on one of hers, the other on her swollen belly. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be swept back over all of his memories with her.
He remembered everything from when he first met her to the final battle for Port Legan. He remembered his proposal when she finally said yes.
She was 18 and Numair was 32. He had been half-joking at the time. This memory came back stronger than the others had. He had woken up that day to a messenger banging on his door. He was supposed to report to Jon as soon as was humanly possible. He grumbled, changed, and found Daine was already in Jon's study.
"There are immortals in the city. I need you two there now," were the simple directions they had received.
They went down to the city to find enemy Stormwings and angry Hurrocks flying overhead. The streets were crowded with anyone who could hold a weapon, screaming civilians, crying children, and Daine called on her bird friends to help, and was halfway changed into a starling herself, when Numair screamed out from farther away, "Daine! I love you! Marry me?"
She switched back to human, right into her clothes, and saw him there.
"Ok" she whispered. Numair was startled. He had only seriously asker her to marry him about once a month, but half-jokingly asked her at least every day. She would either roll her eyes, say no or ignore it by saying that she loved him. Now she said yes, and gloriously, she would be his wife. For a few moments, all that mattered was her. He swept her into his arms despite Cloud's protests and kissed her passionately. She broke apart, laughing and crying and smiling. She shifted to a starling and within an hour, all of the immortals were flying away, terrified of the little starling who was mercilessly ripping out their throats, fighting for her love back in the city.
They were married a year later. By the time she was 21, Numair was 35, and they had been married for 2 happy years. It was then that things started to go wrong. It started when Daine learned that she was pregnant. She told Numair and they were so happy that they were going to be parents. Then Daine learned that she wouldn't be able to shape-shift while pregnant.
So now, she was 7 months along, and they had been sent to this desolate field to fight off the hurrocks that were breeding here. Numair was fiercely protective of her during their fight, and it seemed that everything would be okay. But then, one last half-dead hurrok reached out with a scream and cut Daine down. His claws created a deep wound from her left shoulder, across her back, to the right side of the back of her ribcage. She fell, blood flowing freely from the wound, just as Numair finished with what he believed to be their last opponent. He screamed the scream of a dying man, and ran to his wife. He cradled her head in his lap and kept telling her that he loved her. She struggled, then said something that broke his heart
"I love you. With my death, you shall live, but our unborn daughter will die."
"Daine! No! No. No." he started crying, and as she shuddered, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "Wait for me Daine. Wait for me?" A tear formed in her eye, and she barely nodded her head before she died.
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories