I dont own any of the Tamora Pierce characters
It was cold. Bitterly so. A horribly chilling wind swept around her and she could hardly move. Her pathetically thin clothes did nothing to keep the wind at bay. She looked around and tried to see. It was dark. There was nothing to see. Suddenly, in front of her, there was a golden glow. She moved forward to look at it. The glowing gold light shifted to form a face in front of her. She edged closer, curious to see what it was. The image appeared to blur, then came into focus. Ivy felt tears stinging her eyes. For two and a half years, she had managed to keep the dream of Matthew's death at bay. Now it was being replayed in front of her, but in more vivid detail than she would have believed it possible to be. It was as if the knife which sped towards her back was deliberately slowed down. And when it hit him, she could see the blood seep slowly from the wound in his back. She watched as he fell, slowly, to the floor, biting her lip in an attempt to keep quiet and to stop herself from crying. She tried to tear her eyes away, but she couldn't. She watched as his body was dragged away. She expected it to fade, but suddenly, Matthew's eyes flew open. They were glowing red.
"I'm not dead Ivy!" his voice sounded in her head. She opened her mouth to answer, but shut it just in time.
You are! her head yelled. You are! This is sick! You're dead! They found your body! You're dead!
But it continued. Inside her head, she could still hear her voice. How was this going to prepare her for knighthood? It was just a bunch of lies, trying to trick her... she wouldn't believe it... she refused to believe it.
Finally, the image and voice faded. Ivy realized that she was lying on the floor, tears pouring down her face. She got to her feet shakily. If I make it... she thought, it better have been worth it... all the pain... all of this... it's sick...
She looked around again and was almost sick.
Gavin walked over, clad in leather breeches, shirt and boots.
"Ivy... come on... dance with me." He held out a hand. "You know you want to...
Ivy scrabbled backwards. NO! She thought. She fell against the wall, leaning against it for support. Gavin shrugged.
"Suit yourself." He disappeared. Ivy looked at the spot he had stood in confusion. Surely that was too easy? She was suddenly thrown off her feet, onto her face. She lifted her head slowly, her vision blurred. She was on a boat. Gavin was stood a few metres away from her, sharpening a knife ona stone and testing it on his finger. He looked over to the other side of the boat. Ivy followed his gaze and was almost sick. Matthew was on the other side of the boat. He was the same as she remembered him to be - well muscled, blonde-brown hair slightly messed, eyes sparkling. The only difference was that he was tied to a pole, sweat was pouring down his face, and he was obviously trying desperately hard to change into a Pyro.
Gavin walked over to Matthew, his knife held out. He brought the knife up slowly so that it caught the light of the nearest candle, then he slashed it down through the air so that it left a large gash on Matthews arm. Ivy bit back a yell of pain and looked at her own forearm. She sported a cut identical to Matthew's own. Matthew was gasping in pain. Ivy felt tears sting her eyes as he looked across at her, as though begging her to do something. He cried out in pain as the knide sliced down his back. Ivy bit her lip as hard as possible.
"Ivy!" Matthew shouted. "Please! Do... do..." there was another ear piercing yell as the knife sliced across Matthew's chest.
"You can stop it Ivy." Gavin said, looking across at her. "Just say yes and I'll leave him alone. Say yes to whatever I say, and he won't suffer."
"Don't listen to him Ivy!" Matthew gasped, eyes closed as he gritted his teeth against the pain. "You have to stay quiet!"
There was another pain across Ivy's leg.
"Or you can let it go on." Gavin continued. "Watch him writhe in pain. Be a self-centred bitch. Leave your fiancee to die..."
That word brought more and more tears to Ivy's eyes. Her fiancee. Could she do this to her fiancee?
He's dead! Ivy told herself. He's not your fiancee anymore! She looked at the ring glinting on her finger. He's in the past. You can't do anything for him!
"Ivy... you can save him. You wouldn't want him to suffer would you? Just say something. Stop the pain. Go on..."
"Ivy, don't listen to him!" Matthew's chest was bleeding through his light blue shirt, a red blotch was getting ever bigger.
Gavin saw the direction of her gaze. "That's horrible isn't it Ivy? You can stop it... just say yes, and he won't get hurt anymore."
Ivy shook her head, seeing the look in Matthew's eyes -his eyes could have tricked her into anything, now she thanked him for it.
Another searing pain across her ankle. Ivy could feel the blood leaving her, leaving a puddle on the floor of the chamber... surely she would die soon? Then she could get away from this... perhaps she could faint?
"IVY!" Matthew yelled. "Don't you dare fall asleep! I didn't take you as my Squire for you to fall asleep half way through your ordeal! You can do this! Just stay awake for a few minutes! I love you! Just stay awake!"
"No," Garrick said, "Go to sleep..." Ivy felt her eyes drooping suddenly, but suddenly she realized something. Gavin had disappeared. Garrick stood where he had been standing. He was holding the knife. It was dripping with Matthews blood. Looking at him, Ivy saw the small scar on his cheek opening grotesquely slowly and letting blood drip out. His brown hair seemed to grow, and in a rustle of wind changed to black. Gavin was staring at her. Ivy felt the need to retch. Gavin was Garrick? Garrick, the man who had held her so many times and cheered her up recently, was Gavin? Gavin, the man who had raped her?
"Sleep Ivy!" Gavin commanded. "Go and join Matthew... he's dead... go and join him."
Ivy once again felt her eyelids droop. He was right. Matthew was dead. Garrick wasn't the man she had thought he was... what did she have to live for?
Ivy, Matthews voice sounded in her head, drowning out the sound of Gavin telling her to sleep. Don't sleep... just stay awake Angel... a few minutes and all this will be over... forget the pain, just forget it's there... stop thinking about it... just make it out of here and everything will get sorted out... I promise... just hold on for me... I love you...
Somehow Ivy managed to stand. Blood dripped from all of the cuts on her body and her robes clung to her skin. At some point during Matthew's talk, Gavin haddisappeared as had the boat. Nowthere was just an icy wind whipping around her, sending specs of blood off her robes onto the floor of the chamber. Ivy heard it splatter on the floor. She wondered if anything else wasgoing tocome at her... she doubtedshe could stand itif it did. It was an effort tokeep her eyesopen, to stop herself collapsing into a dead faint andfalling tothe floor, lifeless. After what seemed like an eternity of airiness, Ivy saw the door to the chamber open. She stumbled weakly over and fell forwards.
Her father and her Aunt Alanna were waiting to catch her. She could hear the gaspsof horror and shock as she fell forwards bleeding.Ivy knew what they were thinking, they thought she'd failed... she couldn't care less what they thought, not when she saw the figure at the back of the room, sporting identical gashes to her on his chest, arm and leg. Blonde-brown hair matted with sweat, Matthew of Tirragen staggered through the crowd of people in the chapel, amidst gasps of shock and horror. He didn't wait for her to say anything. He took her in his arms and held her tight against him.
"I told you I'd be back..." he murmured. "I've missed you..."
Ivy couldn't say anything. She was too shocked, too tired, too in pain, to do anything except lean against him for support.
"I love you Ivy..."
Sorry about the length of time it took and how short the chapter is, but my computer is a poop! Review please!
