Author's notes: This is my first song fic so please go easy on me.
Disclaimer: I don't own the song 'My Last Breath', nor do I own Malus Darkblade. I do own the woman and the horse though as they are characters in my army. big grin and as you've guessed I don't own warhammer.
There was never any reason for her to have cared about the life she was leaving behind. She felt a little light headed and ill. There was no pain only a light fuzzy feeling in her head. She couldn't understand it she couldn't even comprehend what was going on in the world around her. She felt ill and a little dizzy. Why was she lying on the floor?
Battle cries sounded around her and the sounds of men screaming in agony made her ears ring and pride well in her chest…though it hurt like hell. She could see through the clouds on the edge of her vision the last of the High Elves falling to their knees as death enveloped them in its comforting embrace. She wished it would do the same for her and send her on her way to where ever she was going. She sighed and felt her chest tighten. Now she wished she had never come here. Her eyes watered in an unerring way…she did not wish to cry. "I want to live." She screamed in her head, "I want to live."
Hold on to me love,
You know I can't stay long,
All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid
Can you hear me?
Can you feel me in your arms?
Malus wandered across the battle field searching with keen grey eyes. He searched the wounded and the dieing prodding each one with an unconcerned foot. She could not be here could she? He looked across the now deserted chaos waste and felt the earth heavy with blood. It was soaked a swords blade deep but at least the ground may be a little more fertile. "If Kaine permits it." He whispered to the wind. It screamed at him blurring the edge of his vision as if tears were about to flow from his eyes. He would not cry…a dark elf showed no such weakness in the eyes of his masters. As he drew near to a woman lying on her back he caught sight of the dark outline of a large horse…a horse that would only stand there if…His heart stopped for a beat and then raced as if these were to be his last moments on earth. But he knew that was not true, that horse stood with its head down and tearing at the earth as if in mourning. It was the creature causing the unearthly screams. It was not that often but still the creature screamed. It was like a cold wind blowing through all protection that you could ever have and searing you bones with the cold.
Holding my last breath,
Safe inside myself,
Are all my thoughts of you?
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight.
He ran to the small body that lay next to its hooves. His body complaining after the long time of war it had just endured. He ignored it and let the voices scream at him in despair. She had to be alive…she had too. He threw his sword aside and knelt at the girls shoulder. She looked up a smile on her pale skin. Blood dripped down her chin and neck falling to the floor. An arrow was lodged deeply in her left side and she had deep sword cuts to her waist and neck. It was torn but the voice box and wind pipe were still in one piece. She giggled as he tried to ease the shaft of wood out her, this was causing great pain. She nodded too him and smiled again. "We won did we?" He nodded sadness easing his features into an unreadable expression. "That's good…I'm sorry I was so useless."
That morning she had ridden full pelt at those blasted high elves taking out at least half a unit. She had done well. "You weren't useless." He assured her pulling her up into his lap. She whimpered at the movement and for a moment he felt disgusted. He then realised that the pain was too much for even those trained in dealing with their own wounds. Malus gently brushed the jet black hair from her eyes and felt her breathing become more laboured. "Do you hurt badly?"
"I wish I had died when the blow was delivered." She laughed and coughed with the effort. She was trying so hard. He sighed and rested her head against his shoulder trying to piece together everything that had happened. He had lost her during the heat of the battle and had hopped that she was still alive. Now his hopes lay dashed in front of his very eyes and his loves body lay dying on his lap. He felt the sting of tears and this time did not move to dash them away. She was all he had ever had…that had not hurt him in some way. "Don't cry…don't let them see you. They'll kill you."
"I don't care I'd have a chance of staying with you." She smiled and the dried blood cracked against her pain skin. She had been a strange creature…skin as pale as the snow and much like an albino's. Of course the albinos of his race had white hair and red eyes…she did not, dark hair, deep brown eyes that drew you like a whirlpool down to the depths of your own soul. He would miss her.
I'll miss the winter,
A world of fragile things,
Look for me in the white forest
Hiding in a hollow tree (Come find me)
"You know I'll miss the winter here. It's so beautiful." She waved a hand and then dropped it with the effort. Malus looked up and around the outskirts of Nagarathe. Even though this place was a hell hole she was right. The winters here were one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life…and he had travelled most of the old world. Still as she carried on talking he realised that she was talking as if her ripped neck was causing her no pain at all. Was she really that close to death? He had heard that when you were so close pain left you and you felt nothing but the love you had for those you were leaving behind. Did she have anyone like that? He realised how young she was…younger than any other person in the army but still she had been better trained than most.
"Malus I have to ask you something." Her voice started to fade now.
"What is it?" he asked reprimanding himself for how cold he must sound to her.
"Please don't feel to bad about me dieing…it wasn't your fault." He laughed a sound mingled with sadness and desperation. "It wasn't you're…" he ignored the last part know that this was not the way he wanted it to end. "Please Malus listen."
I know you hear me,
I can taste it in your tears,
She pulled at a necklace around her neck and it slid across the wetness of her life fluid. It was a dragon entwined lovingly around a gem which was nestled in the protection of two large wings. Her heart sat. He frowned at it a second and then realised what she was doing. "Wait, we can get a healer over here we can…" she lifted an almost lifeless hand to his lips and pressed a finger against them.
"There is no time…even if they healed the wounds I would still die." She smiled and took his hand in both of her and kissed it gently. "You have been more than a friend to me and I thank you."
"Your one of the only people I would ever do that for." She smiled and a melodic laugh filled the air around them.
"I'm going to die Malus. There is no stopping that and you know it. Please take this." She linked it around his fingers and secured it too his armour. "It will protect you and you'll remember me."
"How could I forget you?"
"We all forget sooner or later." She whispered and closed her eyes leaning back against his chest and taking a deep breath.
Holding my last breath,
Safe inside my self,
Are all my thoughts of you?
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight.
Malus closed his eyes and leant over her trying to hide her from the rest of the world. His mind he could see her when she was only two years younger. Her hair flowed gently in the wind and her long white dress drifted around her. She wasn't like most of the dark elves that stood around her but she didn't seem to care. Then he remembered then being alone in a room smiling and talking excitedly. He remembered how bubbly and bouncy she had been, nothing like she was now. It was all so real to him…so gentle and perfect. Then he opened his eyes and he was alone in a field of death. He saw it for what it really was then. A felid full of corpses and death a place were only carrion birds thrived. He saw her laying in front of him on his lap her large jet black horse standing over the two of them, nuzzling them with its velvet muzzle. There was no one around him other that that large black creature and it looked up at him. Staring him in the eye…
Closing your eyes to disappear
You pray your dreams will leave you here
But still you wake and know the truth
No one's there.
Finally he heard her let out her last breath. Seradwen had left this plan and was travelling on to the next. The horse reared as the breath past up like cold smoke past its body. Her dark eyes stared vacantly into the sky behind him. He let the tears come in rushing torrents. No one was here to watch them come anyway. He screamed and cursed at the sky and the great beast did the same. Their wailing and screaming echoed through the dark marshes and over the holds and into the mountain castle of the witch king…whose very soul froze at the unearthly cries of a man who had lost his love and a horse who had lost its master. A voice whispered to the whole nation in their heads as they sat cowering in their houses afraid of the noises outside…
Say goodnight
Don't be afraid
Calling me calling me
As you fade to black.
Author's notes: Ok that's it. Flame we if you really wish but at least tell me why. And criticism is welcome.