Dominae stared down at the amulet in her hands, the gems shining brightly from the light show above them, and she could see her own shocked face in the reflection. That alone made her want to throw the thing away, but she held onto it. Closing her eyes tight, the blonde let out a shaky sigh and let the edges of the necklace dig into her palms just one more second more before she handed it back to the Nord man.
"Farkas, I can't. I can't marry you."
The blonde went to pull her hands back, to put some distance between the two lovers, but Farkas' large ones encased her, not letting her go, and she was forced to look up at him. It was too late that she realized that was a mistake.
The heartbreak was written clear all over his handsome face. The way his eyes had gotten darker—and not with lust—and the way his shoulders, usually so strong, rounded as if too much weight had been placed upon them. And when she looked even closer, she could even tell that his hands were shaking. With a teary gasp, she turned her eyes away in shame.
"Why? I-I don't understand Dominae."
"Farkas, please, I—"
"Don't do this to me Dominae!" Farkas begged, pulling at her trapped hands and forcing her gaze again, "Don't shut me out. How many times have I told you I'll always be here for you? How many times have I proved that I would always be there? I want to marry you so I can always be by your side. I love you, Dominae. And I know you love me too."
"I-I do love you, Farkas," Dominae choked, holding back the emotion that wanted to break out, "But it just can't work between us. I can't drag you through the rest of this life. Gods, I already put you through so much."
"I never complained, not for one second. I want to make the rest of your life the rest of our life."
"Even if my life was going to come to an end soon?" Dominae said softly.
Farkas' own eyes widened slightly and filled with confusion. Unconsciously, his hand held onto her tighter, and they could both feel the sting of the metal pressing against their skin.
"What do you mean by that? We talked about the dreams, I told you—"
"It's not the dreams anymore, Farkas. You're right, you helped me get rid of them, but that's not what I'm talking about."
Her head fell against her chest then, her hair covering her face, and she just breathed for a moment. Focused only on that, and not the way that her love was staring at her, how their hearts were slowly breaking. When she regained some of her sense, she looked back up at the Nord.
"After the dreams began to stop, I started to research how Alduin could hurt me like that. In between sharpening my skills, teaching the whelps, and being with you, I studied every book and scroll I could, until I found something. I know where Alduin is, Farkas."
The brute expected her to sound happy about something like that. That would mean they wouldn't need the Jarl, that they could set off together—maybe even with an army—and take down that bastard Wyvern once in for all. But, the way she made it sound…
When Farkas didn't speak up, she continued on, though explaining her secret pained her.
"He's in Sovngarde, Farkas," she confessed, shocking him enough to make him stiffen, "I don't know how the hell he got there, but that where he is. And I have to follow him."
"How do you follow someone to Sovngarde without…" And then he finally understood what she meant. Dominae would have to die to reach the Nord Heaven. He didn't know what else the ritual to get there would need, but he didn't care about that. Dominae would have to…
"No," he said instantly, pulling the woman into his arms, "I won't let you do that. There's got to be another way. We'll talk to Odahviing and he'll tell us there's another way."
Dominae leaned her forehead against Farkas' and closed her eyes, taking in the feel and scent of him, taking in his everything. From the very beginning of her adventure, he had been there, by her side, helping her live, helping her fight. It wasn't fair that she'd been given his huge heart to take care of, because someone like her would only break it, like she was now.
"There is no other way, Farkas. I know it and you know it. And I won't allow Alduin to continue to devour souls if I can stop him. I have to do this."
"I know," the brunette replied, wasting no time as he pressed his lips against hers. Closing her eyes tighter against the tears that were escaping, Dominae kissed him back, telling him without words how sorry she was. She was so, so sorry. Their tears mixed together as they continued to kiss, with Farkas finally releasing her hands so he could tangle his own into her hair. Dominae clung to the amulet in her hand like it was her last life line and held back a sob. Sorry. So sorry.
Farkas moved his lips only a fraction of an inch away from the blonde's, but kept his eyes closed, not wanting her to see the emotions running through them. He had to be strong, had to stay strong for her. One hand moved from her hair to cup her wet face.
"And if there is some way to get you back?"
Dominae opened her own eyes then, though she couldn't see much. "If there is?"
"Will you marry me then? Will you share your life with me?"
"Farkas…"
"Answer the question. Please."
"Idiot," Dominae whispered, moving closer to the Nord, "Of course. If… If I can come back, my life belongs to you."
Finally, Farkas opened his eyes, and some of the light had returned. Anyone who knew Farkas well would still know that there was something wrong, but his heart didn't hurt as much anymore. Taking the amulet from Dominae, he clasped the metal around her neck, watching the way that it shined, and smiled one of those knee trembling smiles.
"Then I'll start planning the wedding."
Dominae laughed softly and fell into Farkas' arms, her heart warming at his words. They couldn't go back to the way they had been before, but just knowing that Farkas would wait for her through anything was enough to help her through. If she didn't have a reason to fight before, she did now.
She would make sure that Alduin would pay for all the pain he'd put her through. In a week's time, she would kill the World Eater.
The mid-day breeze ruffled Dominae's hair, softly blowing the strands around her as she looked out over the land. People passed by as if it was only a normal day, as if the fate of the world wouldn't be changed this day. With a grimace, Dominae's armor clad hands gripped the stone balcony that lay before her.
Today, lives would be lost, she knew that. And not only hers. That stubborn dragon wasn't going to come to her without a fight, and these faceless, brave men and women were going to lose their lives for that. But they knew the price and didn't back down. The fearlessness of a Nord. They would receive a spot in Sovngarde.
She only hoped that she could get to those souls before her brother.
"Everyone is set. Are you prepared, Lady Dragonborn?" Jarl Balgruuf questioned, standing next to the blonde. Turning, her blue eyes looked over him, the rare sight of a Jarl in battle gear, and nodded her head.
"I am ready. Please, step away from the balcony. Soon, it will not be safe."
The older man only nodded in reply and stepped away from her. He said a couple words of warning to the guards around her, but his words died in her ears. She was already far away from this world. The Thu'um was building in her chest, ready to be released, but still she held off. She didn't know how far away he was, but Dominae was going to make damn sure that beast heard her.
"Snow Hunter Wing," she whispered, feeling the tingle of the magic on her lips. The wind around her started whipping harder, like it was responding to her call. With a smirk, she gathered in one last breath.
"OD AH VIING!"
The Thu'um flew out of Dominae's mouth, resounding through the air louder than the combined voices of the Greybeards, and the blonde could feel the castle shaking beneath her feet. The people on the streets started to talk loudly, some even running to their homes, but the warriors in Dragonsreach stood still, their weapons drawn as their eyes searched the sky.
Minutes passed them by, tense seconds passing them by while everyone held their weapons. Even over the brutal wind, you could hear a pin drop. Sweat was starting to bead on Dominae's brow, and she was scared that her old friend was either dead or out of reach.
But then there was the sound of beating wings, a human scream suddenly cut off by the crunch of bones, and a roar loud enough to rival her shout. Looking higher, Dominae saw him; proud beast circling overhead.
"Gotcha. I'm sorry for this, friend. JOOR ZAH FRUL!"
I'm sorry about the super long wait and the lackluster chapter. I've been fighting to try and write this chapter, but it wasn't coming out now matter how hard I tried. Given how it could have been, I'm very pleased with this one. I'll try not to take forever with the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!