I didn't want to keep you all in TOO much suspense! So here's the final chapter!
And, as always, I don't own Soul Calibur...
The glass shattered, falling to the floor, and spilling its blood red contents onto the floor below. Her legs felt heavy, her body felt weak…and when she bumped her foot accidentally against the bedpost and found that she felt no pain, the white-haired woman lay down, her head propped up with several pillows. It was only a matter of time now…how odd…Ivy knew that hallucinations were not part of this poison…yet she swore that she was hearing bells…what a beautiful sound...
Frantically, Siegfried pulled on the large rope bell in front of Ivy's mansion, trying to get the attention of the Countess, but to no avail. And he knew that the front doors and back doors were locked, an any other form of entry was booby-trapped. If there was one thing he remembered about Ivy, while he had been Nightmare, the knight knew that she liked her privacy, and never tolerated intruders. But this was wrong...this was sincerely wrong. Ivy would never ignore someone who had come to call upon her. She would have found that to be too rude and intolerable. Becoming even more worried, Siegfried ran around to the back of the mansion, and began rattling all the windows, trying to see if she may have left one unlocked. The last one was slightly ajar, and the blonde knight took the oppertunity presented, and forced the window open the rest of the way, before squeezing in.
"IVY!"
His voice echoed throughout the empty mansion, as the German knight began scrambling through each room, trying desperately to find any sign of the white-haired woman; his missing lover.
"IVY!" Siegfried's voice became more urgent as he turned towards the stairs and began climbing them, metal against wood, making a hell of a racket. Surely she should have come out by now, hearing this noise in her house... All of the horrible things that could have happened to her, began running through his mind, as he climbed the last stair, and stood at the edge of the hallway. The very long hallway that led to the master bedroom at the very end of the hall...Ivy's room. Without even hesitating, the knight broke into a run, as the seemingly endless hallway passed by him, only the master bedroom in his sights.
There were some rather loud thumping noises...must have been that devil of a man and Her Majesty's soldiers...coming to take her, Ivy supposed...No matter...she would be dead before they could do anything about it. Now she would have the last laugh...
"Heheh..." As she began to chuckle weakly, the door to her room burst open, and the figure who had done so now stood, practically breathless, and horrified...just like the white-haired woman.
"Ivy..." he spoke, his voice cracking.
"...Siegfried...?"
The silence in the room was so still and so tense, like it had been nearly several hours ago, at a very different moment, but just as intense. Ivy had committed Siegfried's worst fear...she had done something foolish...
With several large steps, the blonde German walked over to the Countess' bedside, kneeling down, looking into her turquoise eyes. His heart was racing as he placed two fingers against Ivy's wrist, finding a slowing pulse, and beginning to panic.
"You...you're not dead." Ivy whispered, slightly amazed.
"I managed to escape...I was hoping you wouldn't do anything foolish while I was gone...the Queen didn't want to kill me...she wanted me to be her king. I refused, naturally, but..." Siegfried trailed off, and looked frantically around the room, not quite sure for what, yet, but he was hoping to find-
"You won't find a cure." Ivy murmured with a sad smile, interrupting the blonde's thoughts.
"Meine Gott, Ivy...what have you done?" Siegfried asked, standing and raising his voice slightly.
"...Conium maculatum."
"...What?" Siegfried repeated, tilting his head to one side.
"Poison hemlock..."
Once more, the room fell silent. Siegfried had turned away from the dying woman, his fists clenched, his eyes shut tight. How could she have done this to herself? Why did it have to end this way...?
"Siegfried...I know...you must be dreadfully upset with me now..." As Ivy spoke, she leaned up and lightly touched Siegfried's arm, with her hand. The knight slowly turned around and sat down on the mattress, next to the white-haired woman his fingers intertwining with hers, as he held her hand.
"Just tell me why. Why did you do it, Ivy?" Siegfried asked softly.
"...let's not talk of such things.But...I believe you would have done the same thing...if you were in my position...would you not?" Ivy asked in return, causing the German knight to sigh heavily. He swallowed hard, before asking the next question that had been throbbing...pulsating in his mind.
"How long until...?" Siegfried broke off the question, biting his lip. A saddened smile appeared on the lips of Ivy, and she removed her hand from Siegfried's grasp, and placed it against her thigh. Pinching the skin, she felt no pain. Closing her eyes for a mere moment, the noblewoman took Siegfried's hand and placed it against her breast, where her heart was.
"When it reaches there...I will be gone." she replied simply, opening her eyes again.
Overwhelmed, and stunned into silence, Siegfried somberly took Ivy's hand back into his, trying to return the warmth into that slender hand of hers. The cold chill of Death was swirling around the room, hovering menacingly. Death's scythe prodded atIvy's heart every lingering second that the poison worked it's deadly curse. Minutes passed. Slow, agonizing minutes that seemed to throw themselves into Siegfried's face as he helplessly watched the woman he dearly loved, slip right from his grasp.
"I'm glad...you came." Ivy murmured finally, her words surprising Siegfried.
"What do you mean?" he asked, brushing a strand of white hair from her face.
"...I didn't want to die alone...even knowing that you might have been on the other side...waiting for me...I didn't want to go through something else alone...like I have for everything else in my life." Ivy whispered, as unwanted tears splashed down from her turquoise eyes.
"I don't want to die alone..."
Siegfried shook his head, gripping Ivy's hand even harder.
"Ivy...I will always be here for you."
He leaned over and kissed the top of her forehead.
"Because you know I love you, Isabella Valentine." the German knight whispered. His words earned a gasp from the noblewoman, as her eyes widenend. Siegfried smiled slightly, and as he began to brush another piece of white hair from Ivy's face, he realized how limp her hand was in his.
"...Ivy...?" he whispered, the smile falling from his face.
"Ivy!" he repeated his question, his voice rising.
Shaking his head, the blonde knight stood, shakily, leaning against the bedpost. Looking down upon her body, he took notice of her serene face, and quickly came to terms with what had just occurred.
She was gone.
Somewhere in the world, a sword that had tried so hard to piece itself together, was screaming in agony, as it finally fell to dust. A sword that had once glowed a radient blue, fell to a plain silver. And a sword that had once acted on the will of its mistress, unlinked for the last time, and stayed that way, perminantly.
Siegfried closed his eyes, and wiped away the beginnings of tears. He placed his calloused hand over Ivy's eyes and closed them , before taking a bedsheet and placing it over the woman he loved. As he knelt before her bedside, the room became a flurry of activity, as the Archbishop and the soldiers of the Queen rushed into the room, weapons drawn.
"Stand down." the Archbishop ordered, frowning slightly, as he took several steps towards Siegfried, who stood protectively in front of Ivy's body.
"This is what your wonderful Queen has done." Siegfried stated, his eyes flashing with hatred and anger.
"THIS is what your WONDERFUL QUEEN, has done to her! Under the false pretense of my being taken in for execution, Ivy killed herself! Are you men PROUD to serve a Queen like this! Are you PROUD of what you've done now?"
Siegfried marched over to a soldier, and held out his hands.
"Your sword. Give it to me." he demanded sternly. The young soldier whom Siegfried was speaking to,quickly took the sword from the sheath, and handed it to Siegfried with wide, panicked eyes. Siegfried studied the weight of the blade in his hands, before marching over to the bed where Ivy's body lay.
"This...is what your wonderful Queen has done..." he repeated softly.