Alther dies.
He dies, and Marcia doesn't know how she'll survive.
He dies, and he tells her to go. Those are his last words to her, to anyone. Alther is bleeding out, and she is holding him. And she is sobbing, but he is smiling. "Marcia," Alther whispers, "Marcia, my daughter, I love you, but you must go." She protests, and he pushes her away.
For a moment, Marcia thinks Alther doesn't want her here. She doesn't even begin to process the fact that she has been called "daughter" until much later. But Marcia turns, and she sees the Queen, who has been shot, and Marcia lunges. She grabs the baby, who is alive, blessedly alive, and hears Alther take his last breath.
Marcia runs. She runs to the wizard tower, where everyone is going about their day as if nothing had happened. As Alther wasn't gone, as if Marcia didn't have the baby princess in her arms. She burst into the tower, and the noise stopped. They were starring at her. Why were they staring?
She realized that not only was she cradling the baby, but Alther had, apparently, placed the Akhu Amulet around her neck. Marcia was the Extraordinary now. She pushed her emotions to the back of her mind, and started preparing.
When the night was over, and the Wizard Tower was secure, and the Princess was hidden, Marcia let go.
SHe cried, and cried, and cried. She looked at Alther's empty rooms, and she cried again. They were her rooms now. For a split second, Marcia thought about moving into them, they were hers now. But she couldn't, and she didn't.
A month after Alther's death, Marcia could hardly bear to be in the Extraordinary rooms, to wear the robes, to do the job that should be Alther's.
Two months after Alther's death, Marcia had stopped crying every night
Six months later, Marcia smiled occasionally. It was hard, but she was figuring it out.
A year and a Day later, Marcia hadn't cried about Alther in a full week. She was tired, and half asleep, and she entered her kitchen to a pre-made breakfast.
For a second, Alther was back. For a second, Marcia could breathe.
After that second, Marcia cried. Alther was not back, and would never be. She knew that, she really did, but it was so hard to stop hoping.
When she was done, Marcia ate her breakfast, and thought she heard a sigh, a content, longing, wistful sigh. She turned, but nothing was there by the wind.
Notes: I thought this was a one-shot but it changed its mind, so have a tiny bit more. What do you think? Thanks for reading!