Cloud felt Daine's niggling presence in her mind disappear, and screamed
like a crazy horse, then took of madly towards the village. Zek, too, had
felt it, and clung in her mane, chattering in fear.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From above, it must have been a strange tableau-hundreds of soldiers fleeing to the east, and the four lonely figures by a ground of abandoned houses.
"No. . . Gods, no, this can't be happening. . ." Numair fell to his knees beside the small pile of ashes that used to be his love. He had burned her. Vaelon, with his last breath, had killed the one that had been his ruin. Burning her. Daine's scream still resonated in Numair's mind as he lived the scene over and over, hoping it was all a dream. He was beyond tears, his grief filling him with insufferable anguish. Never. Never would he see her again, never would he get over this. There was just no point to life now that she was going. Pain speared him, not pain from his wounds, but pain from his heart. He'd lost the most precious thing he'd ever had. Daine. Daine, Daine, Daine. . . Grief, exhaustion, and blood loss took their toll, and Numair, for a while, forgot his heartache in the blessing of oblivion.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Damae, was stricken, stunned. She had never dreamt that something like this could happen. She was numb with shock, staring, as unnoticed tears streamed down her cheeks. It wasn't until she received a gentle, and somehow compassionate, head-but from Cloud that she jumped up, threw her arms around the pony's neck, and sobbed into her fur.
"Oh, Cloud . . . She's dead!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The rest of the village returned, as did the men that had been compelled into obeying Vaelon. Damae ended up taking care of her friends, trying not to show her immense grief to the others in her façade at calmness. Voltair understood their need for his cottage, and didn't mind. The rest of the village returned to their usual, slow way of life, only an air of general mourning hinting of what had gone on there. Kaddar ended up never getting to the village-hearing that the mysterious army had simply disappeared, he decided to leave it at that and stay home. He would have to learn the story another day. Medaio and Numair shared Medaio's cottage, and Damae only left one of their sides to eat or sleep until they woke. Daine's ashes were placed in a burial urn, which was placed centrally in Damae's hut, and open to everyone as a public sign of their grief. Flowers constantly surrounded it. Meanwhile, Cloud and Zek refused to eat, pining away and deeply grieving.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Numair became conscious 2 days later. For a moment, he didn't remember what had happened, and smiled contentedly. But then it all hit him-the fight, his wounds, and Daine's death-and he groaned and curled up on the bed, clutching his head in his hands to try and block it all out. It didn't work- he was plagued with remembered images, touches, and feelings. He was dumped again into the pain he had felt, multiplied a thousand-fold because he was out of shock condition. His heart was broken-no, shattered-and the fragments seemed each to be knife-edged, cutting into his body and soul. The pain was unbearable, and yet he was forced to bear it. Numair suffered, over and over, the scene of her death in slow motion. Her arms up and over her face as if to ward off a blow, the flames sprouting at her feet and enveloping her within seconds, and her scream, the scream that had rent his heart and stopped his breath. And then it had all disappeared, and small black particles had drifted down onto the ground and fallen into a soft black pile. His anguish was indescribable, to the point where it was physical pain.
He couldn't tell how long he had lain there in torture, but it must have been hours, when he heard a soft voice call,
"Numair." For a moment, he imagined that it was Daine, but he knew that it wasn't her sweet voice. It was Damae. He turned over to face her, utterly dead inside. Tears in her eyes and her voice, she stretched out her closed hands to him.
"I . . . found something," she faltered, "in her. . . in her. . ." her voice choked, and she didn't need to continue. They both knew what she meant. When he stretched out his hand, she gently deposited something in the center of it and closed his fingers around it. It was smooth, curved, and cool. When Numair pulled it back to him and opened his hand, he found that he would need to cry after all. Tears forming in his eyes, he cradled Daine's silver claw in his cupped hands, turning away from Damae. Through his shuddering sobs of agony, he heard her softly pad out and then the click of the door closing.
^^^^^^^^^^^
As much as she missed Daine, she knew that she couldn't even imagine Numair's grief; his soulless eyes had nearly broken her heart. He and Daine had been so attached, so perfect together, and now they had been torn apart so cruelly. Wiping her eyes and trying to think of other things, Damae entered Medaio's room. He was still asleep. Setting out her medicines, she started to gently tend his wounds.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Medaio was awake. He had woken while Damae was patching him up, and the first thing that had registered was the cool feeling of her hands on his bare chest. So now he lay perfectly still, delighting in the delicious thrills that her soft touch gave him. He felt the pain of his wounds, but he felt the pleasure of her closeness more, and just lay, enjoying it. He could feel her slender fingers neatly checking and bandaging his wounds, taking his pulse, and measuring his breathing. She gently massaged in soothing creams and her fingers rested on him between wounds. Oh if only this bliss could continue forever . . . But it wasn't to be. Medaio could tell when she tied the last bandage because she did it with an almost tangible feeling of finality, and he regretted it. But then suddenly, he felt her breath near his ear as she leaned down and whispered, not knowing that he was awake,
"I love you," in tones that proved it was so. Medaio was astonished even as a burst of pure happiness exploded inside him. He had never imagined that this could happen, hardly believed it even no, even though he had just heard the very words he had never expected. He couldn't help himself-when Damae sat up again, his eyes were open and filled with amazement.
Horrified, Damae yelped, "You were supposed to be asleep!" She leaned so far back in her chair that it almost tipped over. Medaio struggled to sit up against the pain, grinning, with a teasing but happy twinkle in his eye.
"It's a good thing I wasn't, or I would have missed that little declaration you just made." Damae covered her face with her hands in despair, and Medaio was surprised to see tears leaking through her fingers.
"Don't Damae, don't cry. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't be upset." His force was full of remorse and he almost begged. Damae dropped her hands in shame but kept her eyes on the floor, defeat in her posture. Medaio gently wiped her tears away, his heart pounding so that he was sure that she must hear it. Cupping her face in one hand, he tilted her chin up to look at him, but she closed her eyes.
"Look at me," he whispered, and she opened frightened, sad eyes. Medaio searched her face, asking intensely, "Do you love me?" He felt like his whole life depended on her answer to that question. Damae hung her head, and it was all the confirmation Medaio needed. Taking her sweet, beautiful face between his large, rough hands, he tilted it towards him, and kissed her gently, so short that it was almost over before she knew it. It was like nothing Medaio had ever felt before, a hot thrill of racing blood and sweet fire from her lips. He had to struggle to bring himself to end even this light kiss. He smiled tenderly, looking into her astonished face.
"I love you too."
And so, under the same fated roof, two beloveds found each other, and one man grieved over losing his.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
A/N: I hope you guys liked the fluff between Medaio and Damae-and never fear, I'm just leaving you guys with a bit of a cliffy here, I wonder how it will end happily ever after? And come on-who among my scarce reviewers doesn't enjoy making a character pine a bit?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From above, it must have been a strange tableau-hundreds of soldiers fleeing to the east, and the four lonely figures by a ground of abandoned houses.
"No. . . Gods, no, this can't be happening. . ." Numair fell to his knees beside the small pile of ashes that used to be his love. He had burned her. Vaelon, with his last breath, had killed the one that had been his ruin. Burning her. Daine's scream still resonated in Numair's mind as he lived the scene over and over, hoping it was all a dream. He was beyond tears, his grief filling him with insufferable anguish. Never. Never would he see her again, never would he get over this. There was just no point to life now that she was going. Pain speared him, not pain from his wounds, but pain from his heart. He'd lost the most precious thing he'd ever had. Daine. Daine, Daine, Daine. . . Grief, exhaustion, and blood loss took their toll, and Numair, for a while, forgot his heartache in the blessing of oblivion.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Damae, was stricken, stunned. She had never dreamt that something like this could happen. She was numb with shock, staring, as unnoticed tears streamed down her cheeks. It wasn't until she received a gentle, and somehow compassionate, head-but from Cloud that she jumped up, threw her arms around the pony's neck, and sobbed into her fur.
"Oh, Cloud . . . She's dead!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The rest of the village returned, as did the men that had been compelled into obeying Vaelon. Damae ended up taking care of her friends, trying not to show her immense grief to the others in her façade at calmness. Voltair understood their need for his cottage, and didn't mind. The rest of the village returned to their usual, slow way of life, only an air of general mourning hinting of what had gone on there. Kaddar ended up never getting to the village-hearing that the mysterious army had simply disappeared, he decided to leave it at that and stay home. He would have to learn the story another day. Medaio and Numair shared Medaio's cottage, and Damae only left one of their sides to eat or sleep until they woke. Daine's ashes were placed in a burial urn, which was placed centrally in Damae's hut, and open to everyone as a public sign of their grief. Flowers constantly surrounded it. Meanwhile, Cloud and Zek refused to eat, pining away and deeply grieving.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Numair became conscious 2 days later. For a moment, he didn't remember what had happened, and smiled contentedly. But then it all hit him-the fight, his wounds, and Daine's death-and he groaned and curled up on the bed, clutching his head in his hands to try and block it all out. It didn't work- he was plagued with remembered images, touches, and feelings. He was dumped again into the pain he had felt, multiplied a thousand-fold because he was out of shock condition. His heart was broken-no, shattered-and the fragments seemed each to be knife-edged, cutting into his body and soul. The pain was unbearable, and yet he was forced to bear it. Numair suffered, over and over, the scene of her death in slow motion. Her arms up and over her face as if to ward off a blow, the flames sprouting at her feet and enveloping her within seconds, and her scream, the scream that had rent his heart and stopped his breath. And then it had all disappeared, and small black particles had drifted down onto the ground and fallen into a soft black pile. His anguish was indescribable, to the point where it was physical pain.
He couldn't tell how long he had lain there in torture, but it must have been hours, when he heard a soft voice call,
"Numair." For a moment, he imagined that it was Daine, but he knew that it wasn't her sweet voice. It was Damae. He turned over to face her, utterly dead inside. Tears in her eyes and her voice, she stretched out her closed hands to him.
"I . . . found something," she faltered, "in her. . . in her. . ." her voice choked, and she didn't need to continue. They both knew what she meant. When he stretched out his hand, she gently deposited something in the center of it and closed his fingers around it. It was smooth, curved, and cool. When Numair pulled it back to him and opened his hand, he found that he would need to cry after all. Tears forming in his eyes, he cradled Daine's silver claw in his cupped hands, turning away from Damae. Through his shuddering sobs of agony, he heard her softly pad out and then the click of the door closing.
^^^^^^^^^^^
As much as she missed Daine, she knew that she couldn't even imagine Numair's grief; his soulless eyes had nearly broken her heart. He and Daine had been so attached, so perfect together, and now they had been torn apart so cruelly. Wiping her eyes and trying to think of other things, Damae entered Medaio's room. He was still asleep. Setting out her medicines, she started to gently tend his wounds.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Medaio was awake. He had woken while Damae was patching him up, and the first thing that had registered was the cool feeling of her hands on his bare chest. So now he lay perfectly still, delighting in the delicious thrills that her soft touch gave him. He felt the pain of his wounds, but he felt the pleasure of her closeness more, and just lay, enjoying it. He could feel her slender fingers neatly checking and bandaging his wounds, taking his pulse, and measuring his breathing. She gently massaged in soothing creams and her fingers rested on him between wounds. Oh if only this bliss could continue forever . . . But it wasn't to be. Medaio could tell when she tied the last bandage because she did it with an almost tangible feeling of finality, and he regretted it. But then suddenly, he felt her breath near his ear as she leaned down and whispered, not knowing that he was awake,
"I love you," in tones that proved it was so. Medaio was astonished even as a burst of pure happiness exploded inside him. He had never imagined that this could happen, hardly believed it even no, even though he had just heard the very words he had never expected. He couldn't help himself-when Damae sat up again, his eyes were open and filled with amazement.
Horrified, Damae yelped, "You were supposed to be asleep!" She leaned so far back in her chair that it almost tipped over. Medaio struggled to sit up against the pain, grinning, with a teasing but happy twinkle in his eye.
"It's a good thing I wasn't, or I would have missed that little declaration you just made." Damae covered her face with her hands in despair, and Medaio was surprised to see tears leaking through her fingers.
"Don't Damae, don't cry. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't be upset." His force was full of remorse and he almost begged. Damae dropped her hands in shame but kept her eyes on the floor, defeat in her posture. Medaio gently wiped her tears away, his heart pounding so that he was sure that she must hear it. Cupping her face in one hand, he tilted her chin up to look at him, but she closed her eyes.
"Look at me," he whispered, and she opened frightened, sad eyes. Medaio searched her face, asking intensely, "Do you love me?" He felt like his whole life depended on her answer to that question. Damae hung her head, and it was all the confirmation Medaio needed. Taking her sweet, beautiful face between his large, rough hands, he tilted it towards him, and kissed her gently, so short that it was almost over before she knew it. It was like nothing Medaio had ever felt before, a hot thrill of racing blood and sweet fire from her lips. He had to struggle to bring himself to end even this light kiss. He smiled tenderly, looking into her astonished face.
"I love you too."
And so, under the same fated roof, two beloveds found each other, and one man grieved over losing his.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
A/N: I hope you guys liked the fluff between Medaio and Damae-and never fear, I'm just leaving you guys with a bit of a cliffy here, I wonder how it will end happily ever after? And come on-who among my scarce reviewers doesn't enjoy making a character pine a bit?