Summary: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, Various Artists Final moments of Alanna and Jon. AJ, obviously. R&R
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.
Alanna took Jonathan's hand as the door to his chambers closed. Jonathan had been a widow for nearly ten years—he was eighty to Alanna's seventy-seven. George and Thayet had died within a week of each other. While no one else had known it, the Lioness and her best friend had slowly drawn closer in the past several years.
She silently warded the room and brushed once-black hair from her first love's closed eyes. She kissed his temple gently. "Jonathan? Jon?" He opened his blue eyes, skin wrinkling at the corners. Jonathan smiled.
"Alanna? Alanna, my love, is that you?" he asked. Alanna nodded.
"It is me, Jon," she replied, stroking his hand. "Its so good to see you awake."
For the morning sun in all its glory,
Meets the day with hope and comfort too,
You fill my life with laughter, somehow you make it better,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.
"Oh, hush," he told her. "I've been awake for days." He softened. "I've been waiting for you. Why haven't you come before?"
"I was scared, Jon," Alanna admitted.
"After all these years, Lioness, you're still afraid to love me?" Jonathan frowned. "You loved George."
"Quiet," she instructed. "You know I loved you differently. I do love you, Jon." She used the back of her hand to stroke his wrinkled cheek. "I always have. Sure as the sun rises, I love you."
"Every morning since that day in the desert," Jonathan said, "I've regretted everything I said to you. I love you Alanna. Nothing in this world can compare to the joy I feel when I'm with you."
There's a love less defined,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun.
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To The One, to The One.
"I know, Jonathan. I know," Alanna murmured. "But there's always been something in our way."
"Your shield, your fear…Alanna, its always been something in your way," Jonathan reminded her. He took her hand and met her eyes. "I've never wanted anything more than your love. Every day I was without it was another day I lived in pain."
"You were married to Thayet," Alanna protested. "It couldn't have hurt that much."
"Oh, it did, it did." Jonathan closed his eyes. "Thayet's known for years. She knew from the day I married her that my eyes were on you and not her. She was fine with it, she understood."
"Oh, Jonathan." Alanna's eyes watered. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that."
Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.
Jonathan's eyes opened again. "I told you once you were my sword arm, Alanna." Alanna nodded—she remembered that conversation as if it were yesterday. "I can't live without my sword arm and I can't live without you. I made you my Champion for a reason—you mean the world to me. It was the highest place I could put you in, but it put you in harm's way. That nearly destroyed me, that I was putting you where you could get hurt. But you defended me so well for so long…you made me proud, Alanna."
"Jonathan, I love you. When was the last time I said that to you in so many words?"
"Too long ago, my love, too long ago."
There's a love less defined,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun.
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To The One, to The One.
"I wish we were young again," Alanna declared. "I wish we still had all the time in the world to figure this out." A tear fell onto Jonathan's hand. "But we don't. You're dying."
"I'm not," Jonathan whispered soothingly. "I'm not, Alanna. I swear I'm not."
"Oh, I pray you weren't, my love, but you are."
Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.
"I'm not," Jonathan responded firmly, like the stubborn young man he'd once been.
"You are." Alanna fell on him, hugging him as best she could. "Don't leave me, Jonathan. You're all I have left." She let the tears flow then, tears she'd been holding back for many years.
"Shh, my lovely. Don't cry, Alanna. Hey." He managed to weakly bring her face so she looked down on him. "My Lioness doesn't cry." With a shaking hand, he wiped her eyes. She took that hand and pressed his palm against her cheek.
"I love you," she whispered. "I love you, I love you, I love you. You make me feel like a woman, you make me feel like I matter. You always have."
Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.
"You always made me forget who I am," Jonathan admitted. "Whenever I was with you, duty didn't matter. All that mattered was that you were with me."
"Jonathan…" Alanna croaked. She kissed his palm. "Why do you have to go?"
"I don't," he said. "I can stay right here with you, forever."
"Forever?" she whispered.
"Forever," he promised. His eyes slowly closed. "I'm tired." Frantic, Alanna called up her Gift and saw that the blue light around the former King was fading.
"No, Jonathan, fight it please. Don't leave me!"
"Forever," he repeated.
"Don't leave me!" she cried, her voice cracking as Jonathan's beautiful sapphire eyes closed for good. The light radiating from his body died. Alanna collapsed onto his still-warm body and cried for all she was worth. "Don't leave me, I love you."
Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.