Prelude-No Regrets
They both lay there on the lush green grass. The sun shone and the birds sang. In the distance the sound of water flowed happily in its banks and it was there that they were to say their good-byes.
:At least it's not in the snow, or raining.: The softly spoken thought echoed in his head and he looked down into the pain-filled blue eyes.
"I'd rather be riding through that then facing this moment, and you know it." He ran his hand softly through her ivory mane.
:It can't be helped and you know it. You knew this day would come.:
"I also thought we would be going together, or at the very least that you would follow me into death." A tear ran down his face. "How do I go on? You are everything to me. I can't be a Herald without you."
:I don't expect you to. But I do want you to try. This land still needs you and another will come along. Another will stand beside you.:
"I want you, only you." The Companion strained her neck upwards and softly lipped at her Chosen's hair. He lay down beside her, touching her and she relaxed.
:Do you have any regrets, looking back at the life we've shared? Would you have said no to me?:
"Never."
:I love you.:
"Always and forever." He felt her take her last breath and pass on. Nothing could have saved her, it would have only prolonged the anguish. He stayed by her, quietly resting.
He would have had every right to curse and scream at those who had led to this. To the queen, who sent them into unknown land; to the partner that had been too injured to go on; or to the people that had created the poison that had killed the love that lay still in his hands. But he didn't.
He wouldn't, for to do so was to cheapen their final moments. The world went on around him, not noticing the sorrow that shaped the young soul. It was nothing to them and finally he was able to stand and he started to dig. It took him well into the night, as he had to fight off scavengers as well as dig, but finally at dawn he placed her in her final resting point.
He didn't think twice about leaving her tack on. It was a part of her and showed her love for him as well as her duty. It symbolized her willingness to protect and fight with him and the trust that was given when she allowed him to take control. But he took from her pack a pair of ordinary clothes. No white, no scarlet, no blue or green. He replaced the uniform he wore with them, shedding the white for black and brown.
He folded the clothes and laid them beside her and covered them all with dirt. He had almost finished when his partner came riding in. The other Herald stayed on his Companion's back and watched as the last patch of white was covered and a body dropped to its knees.
They could only watch as the words were spoken.
An oath, a prayer, a vow.
"Always and forever, there are no regrets." He slumped over, exhaustion finally claiming his body. The last thing his body felt was a pair of arms bringing him to another Companion and the movements that lulled him to sleep as they headed back to a place that he could no longer call home.
They both lay there on the lush green grass. The sun shone and the birds sang. In the distance the sound of water flowed happily in its banks and it was there that they were to say their good-byes.
:At least it's not in the snow, or raining.: The softly spoken thought echoed in his head and he looked down into the pain-filled blue eyes.
"I'd rather be riding through that then facing this moment, and you know it." He ran his hand softly through her ivory mane.
:It can't be helped and you know it. You knew this day would come.:
"I also thought we would be going together, or at the very least that you would follow me into death." A tear ran down his face. "How do I go on? You are everything to me. I can't be a Herald without you."
:I don't expect you to. But I do want you to try. This land still needs you and another will come along. Another will stand beside you.:
"I want you, only you." The Companion strained her neck upwards and softly lipped at her Chosen's hair. He lay down beside her, touching her and she relaxed.
:Do you have any regrets, looking back at the life we've shared? Would you have said no to me?:
"Never."
:I love you.:
"Always and forever." He felt her take her last breath and pass on. Nothing could have saved her, it would have only prolonged the anguish. He stayed by her, quietly resting.
He would have had every right to curse and scream at those who had led to this. To the queen, who sent them into unknown land; to the partner that had been too injured to go on; or to the people that had created the poison that had killed the love that lay still in his hands. But he didn't.
He wouldn't, for to do so was to cheapen their final moments. The world went on around him, not noticing the sorrow that shaped the young soul. It was nothing to them and finally he was able to stand and he started to dig. It took him well into the night, as he had to fight off scavengers as well as dig, but finally at dawn he placed her in her final resting point.
He didn't think twice about leaving her tack on. It was a part of her and showed her love for him as well as her duty. It symbolized her willingness to protect and fight with him and the trust that was given when she allowed him to take control. But he took from her pack a pair of ordinary clothes. No white, no scarlet, no blue or green. He replaced the uniform he wore with them, shedding the white for black and brown.
He folded the clothes and laid them beside her and covered them all with dirt. He had almost finished when his partner came riding in. The other Herald stayed on his Companion's back and watched as the last patch of white was covered and a body dropped to its knees.
They could only watch as the words were spoken.
An oath, a prayer, a vow.
"Always and forever, there are no regrets." He slumped over, exhaustion finally claiming his body. The last thing his body felt was a pair of arms bringing him to another Companion and the movements that lulled him to sleep as they headed back to a place that he could no longer call home.