A/n: For anyone who was confused by my last note, this story has been moved to a two week update period. If I have time to write and publish earlier than two week periods sometimes I certainly will, but I just don't have the time to write once a week anymore :( But here it is; the story of how Penelope died. Thanks again to my beta Tessa Cresswell!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K Rowling.
Disclaimer: Plot is similar to the book Fallen by Lauren Kate, but I have never read this book (or books?) so I don't know if it will continue to be the same. This has nothing to do with angels and constantly dying, just to let you know. I don't think it will be too similar.
Part 1: I'm Viktor not Henry, 1999 (Life Six)
Draco Abraxas Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger
Hermione played with the hem of her shirt. The outfit was nothing jaw-dropping, and had Ginny been permitted to come on this trip she probably would've made her change; jeans and a nice shirt were not the redheads idea of clubbing clothes, but they were Hermione's, and it wasn't like she had any intentions of attracting boys. Her mind was still too wrapped around her occurrences with Malfoy to focus on that.
She sighed. So far her time seeing Viktor had been… awkward at best. She kept seeing him in her mind as Henry, and Henry was a monster. Thinking about that past life Krum made her skin crawl. He had been demanding, vicious, and foolish, and although the thought was unpleasant, he was the complete reason she had died as Penelope.
What was she saying? Was she honestly going to fall prey into Malfoy's game now? Now that would be foolish. She didn't understand it yet, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Those images had given her different perspectives on her friends, and she didn't like it. She had actually been married to a Potter at one point! And Ginny had been like her mother and had nine children twice! It was insane.
But they weren't your friends. They were somebody else, or reincarnations… so they were different from how they were in the past or… oh! I don't know! I can't wait to get back to school now and make Malfoy explain himself to me!
And just like that, her pleasant mood had soured. Why did he even kiss her in that corridor? It was all completely insane. Running a hand over her temples, she considered the idea of crawling into bed and ignoring everyone, but a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Great, now that option is gone.
She inwardly scolded herself as she walked to the door. She was here to have a good time with her friends, not bum around because of Malfoy and some memories. No, she would just have to ignore him and hopefully, her mind had been playing tricks on her earlier and she had seen no blond hair. That was the last thing she wanted. Opening the door, she found Viktor standing on the other side.
But don't you forget
"Hi Her-mione," he said, still struggling with her name. She gave him a smile, but couldn't quite look into his eyes. Damn it, that was Malfoy's fault too. "Can I come in?"
She nodded, and stepped aside to let him into the room. Her space was far smaller than the boys, who had decided to share a room and let her have her own. It was almost cramped actually. Viktor however didn't even seem to notice, and looked around for a moment before taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "Are you ready for tonight?'
Hermione inwardly smiled. At least he spoke good enough English to understand now despite that accent. "Quite," she said, as she continued to move about the room. She didn't want to place her finger on it, but something felt off about going to sit on the bed with him. "Are we going to eat first though?"
"Only if you want to," he replied, eyes following her every step around the room. She of course didn't know this though, since she wasn't bothering to look at him as they talked. Merlin, she was even brushing her hair again to avoid conversation.
"Maybe," she said, biting her lip as she set the brush down again and began to rummage through her bag for absolutely nothing. Why did she have to feel so uncomfortable around him? Memories of her first life- first experiences with him flashed through her mind but she shut them out. No, she would not start thinking about that. She realized then that he had been saying something she had rightly ignored and decided to try and catch the end of whatever it was.
"-ready? Harry and Ron and ready, we can go if you are."
Of course she was ready; anything to get away from this situation that was beginning to feel suffocating. Oh, she was going to have to suffocate Malfoy when she returned for this! He had made her feel uncomfortable around her own friends. Turning she gave him a fake smile she hoped could be accepted as real. "I'm ready. Let's go."
She made her way over to the door, but halfway there Viktor caught her wrist and gently stopped her. She gave him a quizzical look as he rose to stand beside her, looking into her eyes. She wasn't willing to admit that it made her uncomfortable. He didn't say anything, just bent forwards and pressed his lips against hers. Stunned into silence, she didn't jerk back. Too many different things were going on in her head for her to do that. Instead, she stood there rod still as his lips pressed harder against her. At length, he did decide to pull back.
The more you turn away
"I hope we have a nice night," he said, smiling at her. "Come on, they are waiting." Turning on his heel, he left the room as though he hadn't just done something completely inappropriate.
She watched him leave. What was that? He can't honestly think I liked that, can he? My posture should've been enough of a giveaway! She lightly shuddered. That felt too familiar.
"Coming Her-mione?" He had stopped in the doorway and was looking at her oddly. She bit her tongue to keep from saying something rude. The old crush he had once harbored for her was still there, and it obviously had no intention of leaving anytime soon, and the worst part was that she felt nothing but mild resentment towards him just then. Any of those butterflies that had once attacked her heart were gone now, and she bitterly thanked Malfoy for that. But should she be thanking him or planning ways to make his life confusing too?
"Of course," she said, snatching her wand off of her desk as she walked over to the door. She would simply need to ignore this encounter entirely for the rest of the night if she planned to have a good time. Maybe it was a good thing that they would be going out to have a few drinks. She didn't really like to drink, but she may need a few to put all the thoughts out of her head, just for a minute. There were too many things to worry about to stay sober, and Harry and Ron would never let anyone hurt her no matter their states, even if that person turned out to be Viktor. She stepped out of the room and shut the door, eyeing her two friends stepping out of their own room. Had they really taken that long in her room just talking?
Then again, you do have that mysterious blond head who might be watching you too. She shook her head. She spent way too many hours thinking about Draco. No, tonight she didn't want to do much thinking at all.
Draco was not happy at all. From his spot on the second floor of the pub, he could see everything. He had seen the four come in some time ago, and now he was unhappy to admit that all of them were smashed. The four had wasted no time in heading to the bar and ordering themselves some shots. He hadn't really paid much attention to how may they had, but from how tipsy Granger looked, he could rightly assume that she did not drink often.
They were not the only ones down there though. This place was packed since it was the only place that served students liquor, and he had seen more than one pesky Gryffindor join the group time and time again. There were Ravenclaws scattered to one side of the place as well, with Slytherin's dominating most of the dance floor and smaller, upper half. He saw barely any of the Huffepuffs at all.
He still didn't like how close Krum kept getting to her. If he thought the Weasel was an annoying pest then this guy was really awful. Then again, they didn't have a good history. Even if the bloke doesn't remember it, it's still reason enough not to like him.
He felt someone take their place at his side, and he glanced over to spot Blaise leaning against the banister as well, downing a shot of his own. "You look perturbed," he said, tossing the glass carelessly to the side where it shattered. Well, if Granger was smashed Zabini was going to either pass out or puke at any moment. Draco rolled his eyes. The Italian had never been a very smart drunk.
"Only a bit," he responded, still sipping at his whiskey. Not one of the more common Fire whiskey's, a regular whiskey. He found if he drank one of those then his mind would be far less cloudy in case he had to hex someone. His eyes remained fixated on the space below them, watching Hermione and the three boys very closely.
"You seen Astoria," he asked, glancing around. Poor Zabini, he would have an awful hangover in the morning. Still, Draco had to smirk at the git and how lightly he took drinking; that was probably the best thing about the bloke though. He was always so much fun at parties, and when he was sober he was great to hold a conversation with.
The blond shook his head, cocking an eyebrow. "No. Why are you looking for her?"
"She ran away with my cloak some time ago," he muttered and Draco, surprised by the answer, chanced giving the Italian a look. Indeed, he did not have a cloak anywhere near him, and at such a cold time in the year that was odd. Turning his head back to what he had been watching he addressed the problem.
"And why did you let her have it in the first place?"
"She was cold."
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he sought out Granger again. Where had she gone to? "There's your problem right there mate. Good luck."
"Yeah," he muttered, and Zabini moved away from the banister again. Left alone, Draco had more time to sweep his eyes over the crowd. He had yet to spot her again and that was making him nervous.
He spotted a tuft of red hair, and instantly recognized it to be the Weasel. It appeared Potter was standing next to him as well, but there was no Granger in sight. Worried now, he set his drink aside and began his trek down the stairs, fighting off memories. Just because Krum had been an absolute brute six centuries ago did not mean he was the same monster now, although that didn't make the blond feel any better. If anything, he found his feet moving faster.
The bottom floor was far more crowded, and he had to maneuver himself between multiple people to get around at all. He cursed himself for having rushed down there so fast; he no longer had an overall visual of the place and had to just wander blindly until something caught his attention. And he really wanted to find her quickly.
The more I want you to stay
He walked the length of a wall, using his extra height to try and see over the people around him. He wondered if his head may explode if he didn't find her soon.
There; in the corner, through an exit door, that bloke was leading someone out, and he was willing to bet it was Granger. Changing directions, he marched over in that direction.
"Viktor," she wined, the cold air hitting her bare arms. "It's too cold outside!"
"But I wanted to talk to you Her-moine," he said. Somewhere during the last few things he had downed, his accent had taken over and in her buzzed state she found it hard to understand him.
"But why outside," she complained, rubbing her arms. "It's cold!"
"I know," he said, hugging her. The movement brought little warmth, since he was quickly becoming frigid too, but she decided it didn't matter and let him hug her? There was nothing wrong with it right?
Something flashed through her mind. Thou will obey thee husband. Quickly, she detached from his embrace, ignoring the confused expression on his face. "What's wrong," he asked, looking at her.
She shook her head, the alcohol having its effect on her. Her mind didn't want to function properly and suddenly the past and present were meshing together and she was very, very, confused. All she saw just then was Henry, yelling at her to listen to him.
Listen to thou husband. Do not disobey!
She shrank away from his touch when he went to help her hand. Instead of letting him help, she sat on the snow and rested her head on her knees. The action confused him. He hadn't done anything, had he? He didn't bring her outside to hurt her, but she was beginning to be a huge mess in there and he thought maybe taking her back to the hotel would be good. Why was she acting so odd? He wasn't trying to do something to her; he wanted to make sure she didn't make a mess of herself.
But to Hermione, it didn't matter. Too many things were swarming through her head and she couldn't put them in order. Was this Henry, or Viktor? Her head hurt. Alcohol did not make one hallucinate, but if memories kept jumping around in her head it wouldn't matter; she would hallucinate simply out of not understanding. Maybe if she took some time to understand what Malfoy had forced on her she wouldn't be stuck with the headache she now had. But it was too little too late, and she would just have to sort out her thoughts all by herself.
She was so lost trying to put everything in order she never heard the door open again, nor felt Krum move away from her to face a very angry looking blond.
Part 2: Why Did You Have to Go, 1489 (Life One)
Lowell Belmont Malfoy and Penelope Elliana
Penelope was walking through the halls of her home aimlessly. In less than a week she was to marry, but tonight she would escape. There was a heavy weight in her chest. Her father believed she was to go to her friends that night, that her friend was sending a carriage to ensure her safe arrival. But that was all a lie. She had set no plans with anyone, and the carriage sent to her would be Lowell's, which would take her to their meeting point. They were going to leave it all behind, everything, and get out of there before they could never have each other. Once her marriage to Krum was said and done, she would have no means of escape. This would be their last chance together.
She knocked on her brother's door. "Who be it?"
"Thou sister," she responded, hoping her brother Isaac would open the door. She couldn't waste a moment. She wanted to say goodbye to everyone in her own way, since this would be the last time she saw any of them. She would miss them dearly.
The door opened. Penelope and Isaac had never been close despite how near in age they were, and the pair rarely talked; she usually only spoke to him when something was wrong, or at meals. "What is it," he asked, looking her up and down. Before she had even gotten the chance to speak he had already assumed it was not the latter.
"I shall go soon to see my friend," she said, speaking vaguely. She didn't want to say names at all.
He raised an eyebrow. "I know." It was not like Penelope to announce what she was doing, much less bid the elder boy farewell when she went off to visit friends. "Did thou need something then?"
She shook her head, loose curls flying around. "I just came to say goodbye."
His eyebrow remained up. "Thou is only going for the weekend."
"I know," she said, looking down. Half a moment later, she threw her arms around him. Stunned, her brother joined in; they rarely hugged.
"What is wrong," he asked again, worried. She was acting strange. But when she pulled back, she just gave him a sad smile.
"Nothing," she breathed, before turning and hurrying down the hall. Confused, he remained behind and watched her go. He didn't understand what that had been about. Watching her hurry down the hall, he contemplated following her and demanding to know what was wrong. But his sister had always been an odd character, and he decided he shouldn't be worried. Shutting his door, he ignored the heavy weight in his chest. Maybe if he hadn't ignored the feeling and had followed her, then maybe he would've been able to save her life from everything that was about to happen.
She had said goodbye to her father too by the time the carriage arrived. Braving the chilly winds, she waited for the driver to come and take her bag. Had anyone thought about it then, they may have realized that it was odd for her to only take but one bag for the weekend. But since her family was not there to see her off for the short 'weekend' trip, no one was around to comment on it.
Penelope could feel her pulse beating wildly as she followed the gentleman to the carriage. Henry would be very displeased if he found out about this, and she had seen him earlier that day. It had been hard to face him, knowing he would probably tap her cheek a few times if he even felt that she was trying to act out, and not say something about her departure that same night. But she wouldn't want him to know; Henry would not stand for his future wife running off. In fact, he probably would have gone off to find Lowell and put an end to everything if he thought her afflictions towards the blond had grown. Thank Circe nothing had slipped out.
They did have to pass his property however to reach her destination. She doubted he would be able to tell it was her passing in the carriage from such a distance, but it still put her on edge that she had to get close to his home at all; the man in general made her uneasy.
It was a fairly quick ride to their destination. She used a heating charm twice on the way there to block out the cold; once in the beginning, and once when she passed the Krum residence, having felt too many shivers coarse down her back as they passed. As they breached the hill she spotted a silhouette just up the path, illuminated by the moon. Slender, with a bag and some long hair. That was Lowell. Her heart sped up a bit. They were really going to get away.
When the carriage reached him, she was out before the driver could get out of his seat, throwing her arms around the blond, the pale moonlight illuminating it in the darkness.
"Thou are well," he asked, stroking her hair softly. She smiled into his shoulder, simply happy he was there.
She stood on her toes to reply. "Yes, just happy to see thee." He grasped her chin, pulling her mouth up so he could kiss her softly. She relished in the kiss, smiling against his lips. All her worries about her brother and father were forgotten as she stood there, kissing him in the moonlight. Just then, nothing else mattered. She was going to leave this place with the man she loved and chose her own life, and that was all she would allow herself to focus on.
He pulled away from her. "We must go. My driver is only taking us past the town limits before I apparate us elsewhere. It shall be but another short ride."
She nodded. "How dos thou know he shall not tell thee parents."
He smiled softly, an action she could barely make out in the light. "I have it covered love. We must go; we canst not waste more time here." She nodded a second time, and stood for a moment as he threw his bag into the back. That was the first time she heard noise breaking the constant silence.
"Dost thou hear that," she asked suddenly, looking around. Lowell's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes, listening. There was definitely something in the distance- which sounded close to horse trots- out in the distance and they seemed to be coming close, very close. Maybe if he had not placed a spell on his driver for the night he would have alerted them of this. The blond cursed quietly under his breath. The steps were too close for comfort.
"Get in the carriage," he said, drawing his wand. He was both thankful and irritated by the dark. At least the approaching person could not see them, but he could not see the visitor either, and that put him on edge. They were well-known, and it would look very bad if they were found leaving together when she had a fiancé she was to marry in less than a week. From the corner of his eye he saw her silhouette hesitating, watching him. That was just like Penelope; trying to help. "Love, please? Get in thy carriage; I wish nothing to happen to thee."
Cold, but I'm still here
Blind, 'cause I'm so blind,
Say never we're far from comfortable this time
He could see that she was uncertain in her body language as she hesitated again for a moment, before walking the few short steps to the carriage. She had nearly stepped onto the single board to get inside the carriage when something hit the side and made her jump back in alarm. His head whipped around again, searching out the approaching source.
There was definitely the silhouette of a man approaching on horseback now, not too far away. He nearly told her to get in the carriage and he would follow, but whatever had hit the wood- be it a spell or something else- made him wary to get inside. The carriage would be a huge, dangerous, possibly deadly target when moving and would not guarantee that they would reach the town's boarders before something terrible happened. He wouldn't chance her getting hurt. "Get in the carriage love," he said, drawing his wand to stand in front of the area that had just been hit. As he watched the rider approaching, he disappointedly felt her move into position beside him. Stubborn witch.
"I shall help thou," she said, taking his hand in a firm grip for a single moment. "We shall be civil Lowell; dost not hex this man just because he tried to first."
He clenched his jaw. That had been the entire idea. He considered saying so, but the person was too close and he really just wanted her inside the wagon. Stepping in front of her he narrowed his eyes; he didn't like this, not at all.
The rider got off his horse a bit of a distance away, choosing to hurry on foot towards them. Lowell flexed his hand that wasn't holding his wand; maybe he could just hit him.
"Immobulus," the person cried, and the blonde's heart sank as he recognized the voice. Of course this would be the person to find them. He quickly put up a shield charm to block it, but the caster was nowhere through being vocal.
"Penelope," he cried into the darkness directly after the spell "How dare thee? Thou are to be my wife! How dare thee run off with another man?"
"Henry," she breathed, sounding horrified. She had tried to be careful when passing his property and his home was so far from the road, how could he have known she had passed, and who she was going to see? "How did-"
"Be quiet woman," he hissed, not sounding at all pleased. "I shall deal with thee when I am done with thy lover. Is this where thou went to when thee was too busy to see me? Off with Malfoy, whoring thyself out?"
"She did nothing of the sort," Lowell hissed, gripping his wand tighter. Must people always jump to such rash conclusions? He did not consider anything she had done to be 'whoring herself out'. She was too kind to do that. A light shone at his side, and he realized she had lit her wand to illuminate the growing scene. Across for them, Krum looked quite angry.
"Then why is she with thou so late, and not her husband?"
"Perhaps if her husband were less of a beast, she would be more inclined to be with thou. But thou are cruel, and I would not take pleasure from spending time with thou if I were her either."
"Thou are running away with her," he growled, "of course thee would not take pleasure in her being around me. Thou want her all to thyself."
Lowell shrugged, trying to remain in control. Krum had a fiery temper when it came to things he cared about, but so did Lowell. Things could escalate out of control very quickly. "She came to me tonight willingly, which she would never do for thou."
"Incendio," he cried, and Penelope was quick to shove Lowell to the side so the beam of fire missed them both. It hit the grass behind them and began to ignite, but she was quick to put it out while the boys argued. She did not like being ignored in their little conversation, but she did not want to step in and draw things out either. She just wanted to escape with Lowell before daybreak. He needed to stun the man so they could go, or she would do it herself in a moment.
They were still arguing when she turned back. Maybe she should have listened, but she zoned the conversation out instead. She watched Henry, waiting for his grip on his wand to go slack simply so she could obliviate him.
"Penelope," Lowell screamed from just in front of her, seconds before something powerful smashed into her chest. As she fell she realized he had to of put something behind his spell, and whatever it was had shattered against her skin. It wasn't glass, and the bluntness felt more like a rock breaking. She hit the ground out of breath but unharmed, her skirts hiking up too far up her legs.
There was a body at her side in a moment, and she didn't need the light of her wand to tell her it was Lowell. He brushed her hair to one side, her wand illuminating part of his face. "Are thou alright?"
She nodded quickly, conscious that her 'fiancé' was still nearby and armed. The moment she nodded, he was on his feet again in front of her. "Thou are so worried about me taking her away Henry, yet thou will hurt her whenever thee so please."
"Be quiet," the other boy said as Penelope rightened herself, snatching up her wand. "Thou know nothing of thine fiancé. Penelope, get over here; obey thou husband."
The girl stood, looking at him with wide eyes. "I am not thou possession. Thou can control me to do nothing," she hissed, keeping her wand in firm grip. Then, she softened her gaze as Krum's darkened. "Henry, go back to thee home. Go back and dost not worry about me. I am happy; why canst not thou understand this?"
He sneered. "Understand hat, my love? That thou are fine making a fool of thyself and I as well? No, thou shall not go anywhere with him. Thee is thine fiancé, and thou will remain here with me and only me."
She shook her head, taking a step back. "Henry, please."
His eyes flashed, and she barely had time to react before he was trying to off them both. "Incedio! Petrificus Totalus!"
Penelope fell yet again, finding herself immobile. She could not decide at this point if he meant to kill her or to simply get her out of the way. The smell of burning cloth entered her senses due to the second spell, and a moment later she heard Lowell speak; "Aqua Eructo!" The burning smell quickly disappeared, and she missed the next spell fired as she tried to wiggle her arms and grab her wand, which sat just beside her on the dewy grass. Wiggling her body just so, she was able to grab it.
No sooner had Penelope been able to wrap her fingers around the wand in a clumsy grip and unbind herself, did she stand and narrowly miss a hex. Lighting her wand again, she turned to face Krum who was not paying an ounce of attention to her. There was venom in his eyes, and all he seemed to be focused on was Lowell. Turning her head, she noted that the blond was not far from them, a cut above one eye.
She certainly did not like the look Krum had in his eyes. Lowell was injured and the cut seemed deep; he kept shaking his head as though trying to clear his vision. Instantly, she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, and hurried over to him. She could practically here what Krum was going to say ringing in her ears, and that thought petrified her.
Apparently however, she chose the wrong moment to turn and aid him. The same moment she took a step towards her love, he began to speak, and in the two short strides towards Lowell his phrase was complete; "Avada Kedavra."
"No," Lowell screamed, watching the scene play out in front of him. It happened quickly, faster than one can blink; she had turned to walk to him, and then Henry had spoken that spell. He didn't quite move fast enough to shove her out of the way in his hurt state, and he watched in horror as her body went limp and collapsed into his own, which had been hardly a second behind hers; had he walked faster, the spell would have indeed hit him if he had only sidestepped her approach and not let her get in harm's way. Horrified, he sank with the body down onto the grass.
Everything grew very still, as though that moment in time was not ready to move on. He let her bodyweight drag him down, her wand falling uselessly onto the grass beside them. Her face was forever frozen in a look of disbelief. So close had they been to avoiding this fate all together; had one of them thought in that split second to pull/push the other, neither would have been hit. But no, they had both felt the urge to protect the other in that moment and had jeopardized their own safety as a result.
At first, he just stared down at her with shaky lips. The blood from the cut on his head dripped down, splattering lightly across her forehead, but he hardly noticed. He was too stunned to notice anything. How could he be holding such a lifeless, solid body in his arms when a moment ago she had been alive and active? That was simply impossible.
He had no idea how long he sat there, gazing down into eyes that wouldn't blink, when the shuffling of feet reminded him that another person was looking in on this moment of agony. Setting her body down with the best care he could, he stood and faced the man who caused this.
"Leave," he said in a cold, tired voice. Henry had lit his wand while the blond crouched beside that bastard's fiancé, softly crying. Now, all Lowell saw was a face of disappointment.
"She's dead," he breathed, obviously horrified at this revelation. His eyes were wide, and if one were to look close enough they would see his wand hand softly shaking. "She's gone."
"I said leave," he growled, but it came out more as a choke. Sinking back down onto his knees, he looked her over again. Her hair blew softly in the breeze, but that didn't make him believe she was anymore alive. He didn't look back at Krum again- couldn't, because he knew he would kill the man, and killing just made him feel awful. After all, Penelope had just been killed.
"Dost not tell them I did it," Henry breathed, and Lowell did not look up to see the horrified look on the man's face. "Dost not tell them it was my fault!" Stumbling, he remounted his horse and galloped off, not once looking back. Never, never had that spell been intended for her.
Malfoy didn't process those words though, and it wasn't like he would ever be around to explain to anyone what had happened. Touching her curls, he let his face crumble. How could he have let this happen? A series of sobs wracked his body, making him shiver. This couldn't be happening.
He didn't know how long he sat there, touching cold dead skin, but at some point he was reminded of the driver, still sitting someplace nearby. Angry, he pulled out his wand and dragged his body to its feet, trying to ignore his persistent cries. The man was hiding on the other side of the carriage, shivering. Lowell nearly kicked him.
"Get up," he hissed, fitting to keep his voice level. "Get up!" The man stood, looking shaken. The blond quickly pointed his wand and aimed, his arm shaking. "Obliviate." There, nothing fancy, just emotions getting the best of him. "Thou were not here! Thou were in mine fucking Manor all night. Now get! Dost let no one see thee!"
The man scrambled off, leaving the carriage behind. Once he was out of sight, Lowell forced himself to return to the body. On shaky legs, he approached the lifeless form again. He felt his jaw quiver again, but forced it to remain steady. He could not break into heavy sobs again.
Still, that did not mean he had no right to fall to his knees. Collapsing, he stared down at her, muttering words that seemed useless to any bystander that had not been witness to the scene previous. "I am so sorry my love, so sorry. How did I let this happen? How did I let thy die? Know this my sweet; I tried to save thee. I tried to save thee…"
Cold, but I'm still here