Author's Note: So so so sorry to all those who have PMed me telling me to update. I have been super busy lately. But I'm sure you will all be glad to know that I have just come back from performing my LAMDA examination! I think it went okay… hopefully. But now I have my exam week so this will be the last update for at least a week. So sorry!
OK, back to the story. I'm pretty sure some of you won't like this chapter. Well, it's certainly one of my favourite chapters of the story. Right, I'm just going to let you read. Hope you enjoy and I would really appreciate it if you review! You have no idea how much they help me!
Disclaimer: I still do not own any characters of Shine and the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes and splelnig errrors are also my own, which are not so genius…
Chapter Fifty Five
Ripped
When would the spinning stop?
Finally, he came to a halt on his back on the wet, dewy grass. He lay there for a second, just letting the pain in his shoulder subside. When it had died down, he instantly scrambled up and staggered over to where Ceira lay motionless. He fell into a kneel beside her cold, wet, unmoving body. He lay his freezing hands on her and pulled her round onto her side. Her eyes flickered but then shut again. Emrys was reluctant to shake her, he didn't want to cause any more harm. Instead, he just gently called her name.
"Ceira. Ceira? Can you hear me? Ceira?" His voice was shaking so much he had to bite his lip to stop him from making his words completely inaudible. "Ceira? Are you there? It's Emrys. Ceira?"
There was a low growling sound. Emrys took a sharp breath in. "Ceira? Ceira?" Suddenly, there was a bright, white light and for a moment Emrys thought the Spectres had returned. But no. There in front of him lay Ceira in her human form in her same red dress. Her eyes were only half open and it seemed an effort to keep them that way.
"Emrys? Emrys, come closer. I'm so cold." Emrys leaned in closer and took up her icy hand in his.
"It's OK Ceira, I'm here for you," he stammered. He just noticed that tears were starting to trickle down his face.
Suddenly, there was another bright light and Emrys was forced backwards onto his back. When he opened his eyes, dread filled him. Three Spectres stood in front of him, facing both him and Ceira.
"We have come for our payment," one of them spoke.
"What payment?" Emrys asked coldly.
"The payment you promised us when we agreed to help you against Arthur."
Emrys' heart sank.
A Lysitha's blood.
Ceira's blood.
But that meant…
"You, you knew that Ceira was going to die! You knew!" he yelled at them. He got to his feet and stormed up to the Spectres. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't need to know. Now, you will give us our payment or we will take it," another one said emotionlessly.
"That blood wasn't for magical purposes. It was insurance that Ceira ended up dead in the end of it! It was so you could make sure…!" Emrys fumed.
"Emrys, give them what they want," Ceira whispered softly.
"Wha-what?"
"I don't mind. I'm going to die, Emrys. They can have a couple of drops of my blood," she said quietly.
"What? No! How could you-? Are you sure?" he asked unsurely.
"Yes, Emrys."
"We will do it," the Spectres said frostily. They held out their hands and watched as a small scratch cut across Ceira's forearm. Emrys looked anxiously at her, making sure she wasn't in any pain. One of the Spectres then stepped forward and took a drop of the blood that was trickling from the wound on their finger. They inspected it momentarily then looked up at Emrys. "The price has been paid. We will take our leave now and will never bother you again Emrys," they said before another flash of light filled the area and they vanished.
"Emrys. I won't make it. The spell was too strong and the fall was too great. I can't do it," she said quietly.
"Of course you can. You're Ceira. A Lysitha. You can make it through. I can't let you go. Don't leave me," Emrys sobbed.
"Emrys, it's OK. Just stay by my side and you can do it. But Emrys. Before I die, I want you to do something for me," she said. Her voice was getting more and more painful and strained with every sentence.
"Anything," answered Emrys tearfully.
"I want you to take down your hood. All this time I have fantasised about how this great sorcerer must look. What this boy who is meant to do so many great things looks like. Emrys, before I go, I want to see who that person is," she managed a small smile. Emrys returned it, although his was a shaky, tearstained smile, nothing like the beautiful smile that Ceira wore.
Emrys reached up and pulled the hood off his head. It came off reluctantly but it fell all the same. He sat there for the first time in years in front of someone with his identity revealed. It felt wrong, but at the same time, completely right. Ceira studied his pale, tear tracked face, from his inky, raven hair that just missed the top of his bright blue eyes to his pale pink lips. Ceira reached out her hand and ran her fingers through his dark hair and smiled at him.
"Is it what you expected?" Emrys asked anxiously.
"Even better," she said simply. "But there's one more thing I need from you. The time is almost here."
"What is it?"
"I have always known you as Emrys. As the Emrys I fell in love with is so wonderful already, I am sure the other you will be just as extraordinary but…I want to know your real name, Emrys," she said painfully, taking deep, shaking breaths.
Emrys swallowed. He took a trembling breath and looked down at her. He looked into her deep, dark eyes and saw trust there. He knew that it was right to tell her. Just before she died she could finally find out the identity of the boy she fell in love with.
"Although I have been called many things in the past - Thief, murderer, sorcerer and Emrys, none of these are my true name. My real name has only been spoken to a tiny number of people. My name is…" Emrys leaned in and whispered a word that only Ceira could hear. As he said it, a smile spread across Ceira's face. He leaned back and looked her in the eye.
"Thank you Emrys. Now I can die in peace." She gently withdrew her hand from Emrys' grasp and lay it by her side. He leaned in closer over her.
"I will get Arthur back Ceira, don't worry. I will make him regret the day he ever thought of harming you. I will avenge you," Emrys said irately.
"No, Emrys. He was trying to save me out there. When we were fighting, he didn't fight back, when Leon tried to step in and kill me Arthur stopped him and when the Spectres were going to kill me he ran in and tried to defend me. The battle must have rekindled old feelings and he must not have been able to watch me die or something. But all that matters is that he feels bad about what he did. We were wrong about him, Emrys. We tried to kill him and all along he was on our side. You heard the Spectre, you and Arthur are two sides of a coin. He is your destiny and you are his. We must pay him back. You must pay him back when I am gone," she said.
"Ceira don't leave me. What will I do? Where will I go? You can't die. You're the only one I have left," he sobbed.
"Emrys, please, you can do it. Be strong, for me. I know you will make me proud. I know that you will grow up to become the greatest sorcerer you are destined to be. I will always be with you, in your heart. I will always be watching over you. You will make me proud, I know you will," she said with her last breath. She let her head tilt back and closed her eyes. Emrys bit his lip, trying fight back the tears that were now cascading down his cheeks. He slid his hand gently under her head so that his fingers entwined with her silky, rippling hair and lifted her head tenderly up a little more towards him. He bent down and kissed her forehead gently. He then placed her back down carefully and let the tears that he had been desperately trying to bite back fall freely down his face. The light had been extinguished. He had been left in the dark. All alone. There was no one now. No one for him to stand by. No one.
He knelt there for just a minute, crying over Ceira's unmoving body. A few minutes of grief and remembrance.
But he had to get up. After most of the tears had fallen, he swallowed down the rest and composed himself. He shakily stood up and looked down at Ceira. Her dark eyes were closed and her hair was still, framing her pale face. He took a deep breath and crouched down next to her. He slid his arms underneath her carefully and lifted her from the wet grass. He stood up with her and closed his eyes. They glinted a fiery colour under his lids before a floating sensation washed over him. He felt light-headed and airy. Just before he thought he was about to pass out, his feet hit the ground and he landed in the place he had been concentrating on. He waited a second until all the nausea had gone and then opened his eyes.
Author's Note: Is anyone starting to get it yet? Well, if you are then please don't tell via a review. So anyway, please don't send me hate mail! I know I killed another much-loved character but we're nearing the happy ending! Oh, and I've got a little extra special sort of thing for the end so that should be all coolio : ) Thanks for reading and please click that lovely blue button!
