Disclaimer: I don't own any of these lovely characters or places. I just love them so much I wrote about them! So no sueing, okay?
You Weren't Supposed to Leave Me
A single tear fell from his cheek and descended to the cold ground so very far away.
Numair sat atop the ridge of the wall of the castle in Tortall, staring across the water with glazed, unseeing eyes. He felt nothing, completely numb to the world, the noise, and the cold wind that bit through his less than warm cloak. For hours now, he been curled in the same place, so motionless and emotionless and he might be dead. The sentries on duty pretended to take no notice of him, allowing the broken master some little shred of peace.
Nine days. It had been nine days since… Since…
Even now he couldn't bring himself to think it. His brain told him to accept it, but his heart would not – could not permit it. There was no conceivable way that what had happened was the truth. No way it could be reality.
Nine days… His brain won finally, and Numair gasped in a fresh sob of pain and agony. Why? Why did she do it?
He remembered everything. Everything that he would rather forget, everything that he wished with all his soul had never happened. But it had.
Daine, his Daine, his Magelet, was dead. Gone. And all because of his weakness. He wasn't strong enough to save her. He couldn't keep her from dying…
He screamed, a terrible, heart-wrenching sound that made the sentry wince in sympathy. No one knew exactly what had happened on Numair and Daine's trip to the northern regions of Tortall, but they did know that when they had left, there were two. Upon return – only one.
Numair had refused to speak to anyone. He spent his days, alone, in his chambers, turning down any visitors, even Thayet and Jon. At night, he was found on the castle wall, watching the curls of dark water slip across the shore and dance back to join their brethren once more. Not once had he uttered an intelligible word aloud, nor eaten or slept. Grief was his language, pain his food, and agony his drink. Sleep, the blissful blackness of unconsciousness, was beyond his grasp.
Daine. The thought of not seeing her again for the rest of his now empty existence sent new twinges of pain through his soul. She'd been killed by one of Ozorne's crazed followers, who'd followed the couple to their destination north, unbeknownst to either of them. During the night, it attacked. Showing no mercy, it swooped upon them like a demon from the other realms, shrieking with all its horrendous might and slashing with filthy, crusted claws and beak.
So close. They'd been so close to escape. The safety of the cabin was only yards away when… when she fell. The putrid animal had caught up with her.
He remembered it so well now. His scream of rage, fear, pain, and so many other things. The blast of raw magic and energy he'd hurled at the steel-feathered form. The way the stormwing shrieked louder, then became silent, hurtling to the ground in a lifeless heap.
His pleas to Daine as he held her, begging her not to go, not to leave him alone. He couldn't live without her, couldn't bear to be alone. To wake up everyday and not see her shining face in the other room would be… torture.
The way her eyes dimmed ever so slightly, then closed, casting him into the land eternal pain and suffering her absence made the world. Nothing was ever the same. Nothing would ever be fine. Never again would he see his true love.
Never is such a long time to wait…
"You weren't supposed to leave me…"
A single tear fell from his cheek and descended to the cold ground so very far away.
And shattered.
You Weren't Supposed to Leave Me
A single tear fell from his cheek and descended to the cold ground so very far away.
Numair sat atop the ridge of the wall of the castle in Tortall, staring across the water with glazed, unseeing eyes. He felt nothing, completely numb to the world, the noise, and the cold wind that bit through his less than warm cloak. For hours now, he been curled in the same place, so motionless and emotionless and he might be dead. The sentries on duty pretended to take no notice of him, allowing the broken master some little shred of peace.
Nine days. It had been nine days since… Since…
Even now he couldn't bring himself to think it. His brain told him to accept it, but his heart would not – could not permit it. There was no conceivable way that what had happened was the truth. No way it could be reality.
Nine days… His brain won finally, and Numair gasped in a fresh sob of pain and agony. Why? Why did she do it?
He remembered everything. Everything that he would rather forget, everything that he wished with all his soul had never happened. But it had.
Daine, his Daine, his Magelet, was dead. Gone. And all because of his weakness. He wasn't strong enough to save her. He couldn't keep her from dying…
He screamed, a terrible, heart-wrenching sound that made the sentry wince in sympathy. No one knew exactly what had happened on Numair and Daine's trip to the northern regions of Tortall, but they did know that when they had left, there were two. Upon return – only one.
Numair had refused to speak to anyone. He spent his days, alone, in his chambers, turning down any visitors, even Thayet and Jon. At night, he was found on the castle wall, watching the curls of dark water slip across the shore and dance back to join their brethren once more. Not once had he uttered an intelligible word aloud, nor eaten or slept. Grief was his language, pain his food, and agony his drink. Sleep, the blissful blackness of unconsciousness, was beyond his grasp.
Daine. The thought of not seeing her again for the rest of his now empty existence sent new twinges of pain through his soul. She'd been killed by one of Ozorne's crazed followers, who'd followed the couple to their destination north, unbeknownst to either of them. During the night, it attacked. Showing no mercy, it swooped upon them like a demon from the other realms, shrieking with all its horrendous might and slashing with filthy, crusted claws and beak.
So close. They'd been so close to escape. The safety of the cabin was only yards away when… when she fell. The putrid animal had caught up with her.
He remembered it so well now. His scream of rage, fear, pain, and so many other things. The blast of raw magic and energy he'd hurled at the steel-feathered form. The way the stormwing shrieked louder, then became silent, hurtling to the ground in a lifeless heap.
His pleas to Daine as he held her, begging her not to go, not to leave him alone. He couldn't live without her, couldn't bear to be alone. To wake up everyday and not see her shining face in the other room would be… torture.
The way her eyes dimmed ever so slightly, then closed, casting him into the land eternal pain and suffering her absence made the world. Nothing was ever the same. Nothing would ever be fine. Never again would he see his true love.
Never is such a long time to wait…
"You weren't supposed to leave me…"
A single tear fell from his cheek and descended to the cold ground so very far away.
And shattered.