"Remind me again why we're in the sodding trenches?" Deryn hissed to Alek as the shell of a bomb exploded fifty feet away from their shelter.

"The army needed a fabrication, and you volunteered us for this hellish task" Deryn shot him a steely glare.

"Aye, when I said I'd take the beastie here, I didn't mean I wanted to stay and fight."

Alek scooted over closer to Deryn. "We're only here until they can get us out." Deryn huffs and sits down in the mud.

"So we just sit here on our bums, waiting for the barking Germans to run out of bullets" "You're the only one doing the sitting here, liebe." Alek whispers the last word.

Thunder crashed with such force that the ground shook. It started raining and Deryn smiled sarcastically at the sky. "Ah. Rain. You'd think that Mother Nature would come up with something more original for a change."

"The rain might wash away the bitter sarcasm, Dylan." Deryn, in response, stuck out her tongue at Alek.

Just then, a soldier came around a corner and saw them. "Oi!" Deryn shot up from her sitting position and into attention. "What are you doing out here? Science officials have to be inside the shelter."

The air was alive with the sound of machine guns and bomb shells exploding, as Deryn and Alek hurried to the safety of the bunker. Alek wished now more than ever that he had the power to stop the war, but that was impossible. He was just an agent in the Zoological Society of London, and had no political power anymore.

Alek shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Now is not the time to be getting doubts about giving up the throne." he whispered to himself. "What was that?" Deryn had heard him muttering to himself. "Nothing… just complaining about the mud" She smirked at him. "Still don't like getting those fancy boots mucked up?" Alek pulled himself up in mock outrage. "I'll have you know that I got much dirtier than you have ever been when I was on the run." Deryn punched him affectionately in the shoulder in response.

He didn't have political power, but he had Deryn, and she was far better than any title his birthright could have given him.

Alek didn't notice that the bombardment had stopped, and walked into Deryn's back.

"The walkers are coming."

Alek and Deryn had the luck of never having to witness the armored walkers breaking through their fortifications and no-man's land. But they knew it was going to be hellish.

"This is why I like the air. There is always a means of escape. Now, we're trapped in the ground, waiting for some bloody metal rooster to stomp on us." Deryn's voice had risen in pitch.

"Deryn, are you scared?"

Deryn turned on him. "I'm not barking scared, I'm frustrated."

Alek nodded slowly, but stepped in and gently took Deryn's hand. She looked around to see if anyone had seen them, when there was no one; Deryn squeezed Alek's hand in return.

They continued to hurry along the side of the trench back to the bunker.

The ground trembled.

"Barking Spiders! How did they get here so fast?"

They turned a corner and a group of soldiers charged past them. The walkers were so close that Alek could hear the mighty feet hitting the ground and the hiss of steam being released from the joints.

All of a sudden the ground stopped shaking and there was silence. Deryn stopped running and they both listened for a hint of what was going on up about them.

The sound of a cannon exploded two hundred yards away. The other walkers followed suit and the air was alive with the sound of explosions and shouts of their soldiers. Alek broke the stillness and pull them into a run.

Alek kept thinking that if they could to the science officer's shelter, they would be safe.

The distinct sound of a bomb whistled closely overhead. Alek stopped and pulled Deryn back just as the shell stuck the ground in front of their feet. The world turned upside-down. Alek's vision was wiped out with a blinding flash of light and heat and pain, and then everything went black.

When Alek woke up, the bombardment was still raging on. He brought his hand to his head and wiped away blood and dirt from his eyes. The world was spinning and sounds came mutely.

He realized that Deryn was still holding his hand in a death grip. Alek let out a sigh of relief. If she could hold on that tight, she must be okay.

"Deryn?" his voice seemed foreign to his ears as he turned to look at her. But he didn't see her.

Alek looked down at Deryn's hand that was firmly clutching his own, to find that it wasn't attached to Deryn's body.

With a terrified yelp he flung the hand away from him.

"DERYN!" he frantically searched the trench for the rest of her, hoping desperately that she was alive, not daring to think that she wasn't.

From behind him Alek heard a small cough. He turned to see Deryn sprawled across the wrecked trench wall. The front of her coat was ripped open to show a gaping wound and stained in blood that reached up to her chin.

Alek didn't remember running to her, he forgot how he got to be cradling her bloody face in his arms. He was faintly aware that he was saying her name.

Deryn tried to open her mouth to say something, but a stream of blood dribbled out of her lips.

"Deryn, Deryn, God's wounds, Deryn, don't leave me." Alek tried to pick Deryn up but she cried out in agony.

"Deryn, I have to get you to a doctor!" she moaned in response and weakly clutched at Alek's arm. He took her hand and pressed it to his face.

"I don't want to die" her voice was barely a whisper. Alek dropped her hand and held her face to his. "Liebe, I'm not letting you. I promise, no lies." She laughed weakly.

"Alek, I-" her body convulsed and more blood leaked from her mouth. Alek stroked her cheek. "Shh, don't talk."

Her breath quickened, her eyes turning frantic. "Deryn, look at me, you will be alright. You have to be." She was trembling now.

"Alek, I – I love you" Alek placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too." He whispered to her.

Deryn smiled, placing her hand on his, she looked into his eyes, and her breath hitched in her throat before everything stopped.

There was a stillness in the air. Alek wiped the blood away from her face as it tricked into her eyes.

"Come on my sleeping princess, wake up." He choked. "Deryn-"

Something compelled Alek to stand up. He walked two paces and stumbled to him knees, retching.

Deryn couldn't be gone. Alek didn't want to believe it, but she had died in his arms. The girl who had saved him, and he couldn't save her.

Alek was somewhat aware that he was walking along the trench. He reached a ladder that lead out of these godforsaken pits and into the raging war that had taken everything from him.

Alek began climb.