Author's Notes: Rampant plot bunny wanted me to do it. What can I say? I can't deny the fuzzy little things. I don't own anything, especially nothing pertaining to the movies referenced herein. Don't bother to sue, I don't have anything of interest. Feedback and constructive criticism are lovely. Flames will be posted in my LiveJournal to publicly humiliate.

Gethsemane

Prologue

Sonja's head snapped to the side, her neck straining, when she heard the noise from the stairs. Lucian began to groan in pain, his groans mixing with screams as Soren pelted him with his silver whip again. His flesh and clothes were already torn and matted with blood and Soren opened more fresh wounds.

Lucian wasn't sure if he truly heard his skin sizzling from the silver's lash, or if it was just the ringing in his ears. But he could feel them sizzle, feel every lash. He could taste the blood in his mouth mingled with the salt of the tears that fell unbidden from his eyes. Sonja screamed out, screamed for them to stop this, not to hurt him. Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

The lycan found himself in the center of the stone room, facing Sonja. Soren had stopped beating him momentarily. Two Death Dealers approached Lucian and chained him to the floor. The metal cuffs cut into his wrists, but he barely had the strength to struggle. His breathing was ragged and his body was weak.

Sonja looked down at her lover, her husband, and breathed out the words "I love you." She didn't know it would be her last. Lucian let another tear slip down his cheek. Surely they were just going to torture him for her to see. Even if they did kill him, at least he could know that Sonja was safe. He nodded in return to her, clenching his jaw, not wanting her to see the fear building up inside of him.

The vampiress looked at the faces around her, but they were all blurred by tears. Her arms ached from being pulled so roughly above her head and her dress was in tatters. Her raven hair was loose around her face, a coating of dust over it. The weight of her pendant laid on her chest, giving her almost a sense of comfort. Then, her father approached her.

He didn't say a word. Just stared into her eyes, cold and unfeeling. Stony. She felt her lip tremble. Then, Viktor turned to Lucian. He spat on the lycan, turned on his heel, and exited the room, some of the dignitaries following him. Sonja tried to let out a sob, but she made no sound. How long ago had she stopped breathing?

Lucian moved his eyes once again to meet Sonja's. His hair was matted with sweat and blood and his entire body ached. Then he heard a strange sound. Creaking. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes moved in the direction of the sound. A vampire was turning a wheel... opening a hole in the ceiling to the sun.

What happened next was a blur. Sonja screamed. Lucian shouted at the top of his lungs. He felt his heart breaking into a thousand pieces in his chest. His wrists were cut deeply by the chains holding him back, holding him from saving the only woman he ever loved.

And she was gone.

Viktor entered the room once night had fallen, too cowardly to return until the deed was done. The breeze cruelly scattered her ashes around the room. Lucian watched them swirl about the room, choking back a sob. Viktor picked up the necklace Sonja was wearing from the ground and rubbed his thumb over the pendant. Lucian thought, for just a moment, that he saw anguish pass over the Elder's face. But it was gone just as quickly, and he lashed out to kick Lucian. The lycan bit back a yelp if only to spite the vampire.

That was when he caught a glimpse of the full moon behind the clouds. The wind picked up and the moon was revealed in it's entirety. Lucian felt the change taking place, felt bones cracking and lengthening, muscles shifting. Before he even realized he was fully changed, he pulled mightily at the chains holding him to the floor and was freed. He gave forth a howl in thanks to the moon.

The lycan turned to face Viktor. He quickly knocked Sonja's pendant from the vampire's hand and snatched it up before it had so as much as hit the ground. He wanted to run, get away from this place. He could still feel Sonja here, her screams still sounded in this room. The window. He leapt for the ledge and made it easily on lupine legs. He snarled back over his shoulder, glaring at Viktor, before crashing through the window and landing in the grass below. Death Dealers on the walls were shouting orders. "Kill the lycan!"

Lucian ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Ran to the outer wall of Ordoghaz. Silver arrows were flying past him, missing by mere inches. He was only feet from the wall. The moon was guiding him away...

Until he felt the sharp pain of a silver arrow embedded deeply between his shoulders. His jaws parted and he howled in pain, in sorrow. He fell forward, his clawed hand scraping the stone of the wall. He heard Sonja's pendant fall into the grass. He tried to reach for it, hold it near him, but it was just too far. He let out a final gasp before resting his head in the grass.

And Lucian was no more.

Viktor heard his Death Dealers firing and shouting orders. Soon after was followed a howl. The lycan was taken down. Good. He deserved to pay as much as his daughter had. He briefly wondered if he had done the right thing. Quickly, he pushed the thought from his mind. What was done was done. No turning back. He cast a final glance up at the window the lycan had jumped through. Perched there now was a large black bird. "A crow?" he wondered to himself.

The bird cocked its head to one side staring, unblinking, at Viktor. After a moment, it turned and took wing, flying out the window.

Viktor felt a shiver run down his spine.