Chapter 10
I Will Not Lose You
A/N: So here it is and I know you all have been waiting eagerly to see if our favourite Dragonborn survives, don't worry I am not going to keep you in suspense!
Aela's POV
God, what the hell is that noise? I scrunch up my eyes and I turn my head slightly and I crack open one eye and I can see Karliah curled away from me and she is making an noise I haven't ever heard her make before, I open my eyes more and I sit up slightly as my eyes begin to adjust to the lightening sky as sunrise sets in, I take in a deep breath and I can smell the sliver sweating out of her pours and my gut tightens, I need to get her to Danica as soon as possible, because I don't even think she is going to make it through today, my wolf is writhing under the surface and I reach my hand out slowly towards her and it seems to take forever as I slowly slide my hand closer to her back as I watch her shudder and she lets loose another sound, I prick my ears up and this time I know it is a whimper, I breathe slowly and my hand reaches her back and she convulses away from my hand and lets out a series of whimpers, I shift closer to her and I place my hand gently on her forearm, god her skin is so clammy and feels like she is running a high fever, she shudders and my heart clenches. We should leave now, we need to get there as soon as possible, time is running out and I just cannot let her die, I just can't.
"Karliah?" I whisper into her shoulder,
"No, leave me alone, don't touch me" she murmurs and her crunches up and she moves slightly and I place a soft kiss on her shoulder and I can feel her tense up and she rolls on top of me and I can feel a sharp point going into my neck, I blink a few times as the sun's glare pours through the window and Karliah's face blocks the rising sun, then I see her face and her eyes are so dark that I can just make out her pupils, which are so dilated with fear and anger, she is baring her teeth and her canines elongate, but she is looking at me but not, she is still trapped in her dream, a flash of fear goes through me as she presses the dagger in closer to my neck as her other arm hangs uselessly at her side
"I told you I would get you back, you used me, fucking used me and dumped me and now I am going to kill you for killing me" she snarls at me, oh my god. What the hell happened to her? I need to wake her up, but I as I go to speak she presses the blade harder against my neck and I snake my hand between us and I grasp her wrist and I push against her as she tries to bring the blade down on my throat. God, even in this state she is so strong as I can feel her strength pushing down on me and hold her off and I can feel my muscles burning as they lock into position
"Karliah, it's me, Aela" I say to her as I stare into her eyes and they go wide and the pressure lessens as her pupils begin to shrink as she blinks and then her eyes fill with pain before she throws the knife down
"By Yismir! I am so sorry Aela, I am so so sorry!" she exclaims and a tear runs down her cheek and I hug her tightly as I can whilst trying not to hurt her arm, I sigh and I breathe in the scent of ash and something completely her as my nose rest on top of her head.
"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that you are okay" I say and she lifts her head up
"No it isn't! I shouldn't be attacking you! I thought I had stopped doing that" she exclaims she rolls off of me and I miss the feel of her warmth and the weight of her body pressing against mine, she sits up and faces away from me and I can hear her hiss as clicks her neck to the right and she tenses before her other hand goes to touch the bandage, sit up next to her and I grab her hand
"Don't touch it, "I say and I stretch up before grabbing the mortar and pestle and I drag the pack over and I fish through the bag until I find a garlic clove and a strip of cloth, I look back up to her and her eyes are all misty and she is swaying softly as the sunlight hits her back. I sit back up and I begin to grind the garlic up into a powder and she stares out of the window and go over to the remains of the fire and I get it going again to reheat the leftovers of last night's broth
"What are you going to do if I don't make it Aela?" My heart stops as I look back up at her, and she looks so tired and her skin glows even whiter in the sun. God, I cannot even imagine my life without hers now, she changed it the minute I met her and now, I know, I know I would do anything to make sure she is okay and I would be at her side until she doesn't want me anymore.
"I won't even think that far Karliah" I say as I manage to keep my voice even as I stirs the broth as it begins to heat up and I just keep looking at the broth, because I know if I look up at her now that I won't be able to stop myself from crying or taking her as she is in her condition, I pick up the mortar and I spit into the powder and I make the paste to the right consistency
"But what if I don't? Then what will happen to you? What about us? Is there even an Us?!" she says and drop what I am holding and I stand up and swiftly make my way over to her and I grasp her hands,
"Just stop Karliah," I say raising my voice and I pause taking in a deep breath and I close my eyes before looking her in the eyes, I have to tell her now or, at the rate things are going round here, I will never tell her "I don't want to think that far because I refuse to lose you, to this poisoning, to anything. I want to be able to protect you from everything," I say and I drop her good hand and I rest my hand on her cheek and she takes in a deep breath and she relaxes into my hand as I slowly brush her cheek with my thumb, by the gods, I can feel it bursting out of me, I have to say it, I just have to and my gut tightens with nerves. I am going to tell her " I want to do all those things for you because I love you Karliah, unlike anyone else before" I breathe out and her eyes lock onto mine and I feel like I could drown in their depths and they begin to lighten and I it feels like my breath is stuck in my throat as I watch the melt back to their normal colour of mercury, I lean my forehead against hers and my eyes dart all over her face and her face begins to crease up in sadness and her eyes shine with something close to guilt, by Sithis what is wrong?! Did I say it too early? Maybe isn't ready for it or-
"Aela, you know I care so much for you, but I am just can't say it yet, I have lost too much and been betrayed so much that it is going to take a while for me to say it back, okay?" Karliah says and a little part of me is disappointed but I from what she has told me about her past I understand and I can wait, because I know she loves me and she will have so many other opportunities to say it to me in the future, I smile and I nod slightly and she brings her lips to mine and I let out a gasp as it makes all of my nerve endings stand on end and her hand goes into my hair and she pulls my lips harder on hers and I moan as my hands rest on her waist, and I deepen the kiss as lust begins to drip into my core and I pull her tighter against me and I fist one of my hands into her hair and I massage her scalp and she lets out a massive moan and more and more lust begins to drip into my core, by the Gods, I want her so bad. We have to get moving, I have to get her to Danica, I open my eyes and I manage to break away from her lips
"We really need to eat and get going Karliah" I manage to say but my breath hitches as she plants kisses down my neck and each one is like a lightning bolt through me, fucking hell, I bite my lip as I hold in a moan and I can feel my wolf rising inside of me
Claim her; she is yours so claim her
I take a breath and I move away from her and I sit down and I stir the broth and she sits next to me and I manage to ignore the throbbing between my legs and I unwrap the bloodied bandage from her arm and the wound looks even worse today, the slivery veins are on the underside of her jaw and are just showing on her face, whilst it has moved down to her elbow and getting closer to her heart, I have to get her to Danica soon as possible, my gut twists before dropping deep into a realm of Oblivion, there is so little time now, I manage to clean the wound with a bit of wetted rag and she hisses and tenses up as I clean the wound and try not to smell the poison running through her veins
"I am sorry Karliah" I say and she shakes her head and her now dark grey orbs laced with pain look at me and she smiles
"You don't have to call me by my full name you know; you don't always have to be so… formal" I frown and a small smile works its way to my face, she is right, saying Karliah is a bit of a mouthful sometimes, but what else do I call her?
"Okay, then Karliah, what should I call you?" I say I scoop up the paste it into the gash and she tenses up and lets out a sigh of relief and I begin to re-bandage the wound and I hear her humming some four bar tune under her breath
"I don't know, people generally give nicknames to others so I guess you get to decide that" she says and she sways slightly and I lean back and wash my hands from some water in my water skin and I serve up the broth and I can barely manage to eat it as my thoughts are resting on the journey ahead, it is going to be so hard and I have no idea if we are going to make it back in time, there are so many uncertainties and I cannot lose her.
"Hey" Karliah says and my eyes snap up to hers and I smile softly and I eat another spoonful of broth
"I am not dead yet you know" she says and I eat another spoonful before throwing the rest on the fire, I know she isn't dead yet, and that's how I want to keep it. I begin to repack everything and I suit up and I pull out my green war paint tin and apply it without a mirror and I run my hand through my hair before putting the pack on, I turn to Karliah, as she limps slightly, it has gotten worse, which means it is targeting her limbs, my heart begins to fall and I tie the rope onto my belt and I walk over to her and she seems to be struggling with tying her cured leather laced fur armour and I cover her hands with mine as I tie it quickly before turning her round and I tie the other end of the rope onto her belt
"Thank you" she says quietly and I nod and my eyes dart down to her lips, god I want to kiss her again, I am going to , I loop my thumbs in her belt loops and I pull her close to me and I press my lips to hers and I relish in the contact before I pull away slowly and she smiles and I look into her eyes
"I will not let you go, Karliah" I say and I walk out of the watch tower and we begin to trek again, each step getting us closer to Danica.
2 hours later…
We are so close now, but I can feel her weakening, I keep turning around to look at her, to make sure she is still going and still living, we have had to stop once and I refuse to stop now, but I was starting to get worried and my wolf was prowling, she could feel Karliah's weakness building as the rope got more and more taunt, and then just as we passed Honningbrew Meadery it gave a sharp tug and I span around and Karliah was lying on the floor, and she wasn't moving. My heart seizes and I run over to her but I cannot seem to go fast enough as everything seems to be slowed down now, shit; she cannot die on me, not when we are so close. I finally reach her and the sliver veins have made it to her face and the curl around her cheek and she is white and her eyes are pitch black, shit, I will not lose her.
"Stay with me Lia!" I yell as I drop the pack and I scoop her up into my arms and I she cries out as I jostle her arm but I have to get her there I have to, if I don't then she is going to die. I will not lose her to this, I run as fast as my legs will take me and I can feel my wolf snarling underneath, no matter how fast I run I cannot seem to move fast enough,
"Please don't leave me" I say and my voice trembles as tears begin to form in my eyes and I cannot control the emotions rocking through my body and my vision blurs and I can feel my leg bones and muscles reforming, I cry out but I don't stop running, I cannot afford to stop and I will not, a bead of sweat trickles down my face but I cannot stop. My gut twists so tight I think I might be sick and I can feel Karliah moaning in my arms,
"It hurts Aela, so fucking much" she moans out and I tighten my grip on her as we get closer to the stables, I take in deep breaths but it isn't enough because it feels like it is being sucked out slowly and I have to get her to the temple now! I feel her hand resting around the back of my neck and I look down at her and she is smiling slightly
"Just hang in there" I say as I go through the outposts and I can feel her hand rubbing on my neck and I look down at her and her pupils are dilated and they lock onto mine and I slow down slightly and suddenly I feel her lips on mine, and it is full of desperation, want and need, and I return all of her feelings into that simple kiss she falls back into my arms and her eyes begin to dull and she gives me a small smile and her hand on my neck tickles the loose hairs there
"I love you Aela" she says and her eyes roll back and I just stare at her and my wolf rises to the surface as sadness rakes through me
"NO!" I scream and I run even faster, this isn't happening, I am not losing her, not now, not after everything we went through to get here. I rush through the gates and people move out of my way as I finally reach the doors to the Chapel, tears blur my vision
"DANICA!" I scream and she comes flying out and she looks at me with wide eyes before looking down and she opens the door wider for me and I run into the chapel and I go to the back room reserved for us Companions and I lay her on the tablet and she beings to fit, I hold her face as more and more tears run down my face, she cannot leave me, by Hircine! She cannot leave me, not now. Our life together hasn't even started
"Please don't leave me, not like this!" I manage to choke out as sob rack through me I see Danica muttering over the tablet and it begins to glow and Karliah's fitting gets worse and I release her face and I straddle her to hold her to the tablet and Danica begins to create cuts on her body and I see the sliver beginning to drop out from her body, just little amounts and then I look back up to Karliah's face and blood is coming out of her mouth and then she just stops fitting and I cannot feel her chest rising with breath. I turn and look at Danica
"What is happening?! Save her, you have to save her!?" I scream at her and she begins to chant again and I cup her face which is growing colder y the minute, if only there was something I could do to help, if I only knew magic, I could have saved her, but I cannot do anything! I let loose a scream and then I let the sobs rack my body as I cannot tear my gaze away from her face, her beautiful face
"I love you Karliah, please don't leave me, I love you"
A/N: Cliffhanger or what?! Please review this to find out what is going to happen next! So thank you all very much but the more reviews the faster I will write the next chapter! - Bexaday