(no subject)
It didn't really surprise her how much it hurt. She almost couldn't be surprised, not really, not after she'd had countless daggerwounds and the crap beat out of her more times then she could count.
She hadn't counted on how much it would hurt, though, to see the blank shock on Theon's face. She'd twisted, knocked down the drunken fool when he'd tried to step in front of her. One zombie, then another - they'd chopped them into bits, but then she'd seen what he hadn't. The sword, heading for him, and there wasn't any way to push him out of the way.
So she'd stepped in front of it, took the piece of metal to her chest, it cutting through her and stealing her breath away. The zombie crumbled to dust as he caught her, his face white as she tasted copper. Breathing hurt. Hell, living hurt, right this second.
"Don't talk. Don't-" His words, she'd think when she had the time, were kind of pointless. Besides, she had things to say, and it wasn't like talking was going to stop her life from leaking out all over his hands.
"Shut up, will you?" Her voice was faint even to her own ears, the sword gone. She couldn't remember if she'd been the one to pull it out or if he had, and she kind of hoped she had. If he found out that leaving the sword in helped with the bleeding, then, well. He'd blame himself. "Guess it's a good thing, then." She didn't even register how incredulously he was staring at her.
It was all that Theon could do to cradle her tiny body against his. "Good?" His voice cracked as he watched as her skin grew paler, as that spark that was always in her eyes was starting to dim.
"That we fought. Gives you some space, because Gods know that if I was in your place I'd be a wreck." She tried to laugh, and coughed instead, the taste of copper faint to her tongue. It was good because that meant she'd never have to hope for a child, and that he'd find someone who could give him what he really wanted. "Don't forget me."
It wasn't a question - it was an order of sorts, and he gripped her closer. "Don't do this. I love you-" The raw, broken words were enough that her lips upturned slightly, and each blink was longer.
"Have children. Be happy. Name one for me?" Her eyes - those warm, honey-brown eyes welled with tears, and she closed her eyes, her breath a bare rattle. In that second - her last - she wished she could have had it all. That her love - their love had been enough, that she could have not lost everything before this moment. But life be damned (as it was) if she'd ever tell him that. If she'd ever tell him that she'd wished-
He was human. He was resiliant. He'd forget, slowly, how strong they'd felt, and what they'd wanted. He'd adapt, find a woman who was good enough, something far away from small and dark - tall and blonde, maybe, and she'd bear him a son, maybe a few daughters. He'd grow old, and she'd just be a tragic misstep in his life, the elf who he'd loved for all of a year before she'd been gone. She'd grow fuzzy, until only the bits she'd given him were left, more sentiment then memory.
She opened those eyes to look into his, sucking in a breath to tell him something that would never be said, because for all that she was human now, and had, what, forty more years? She suddenly had none.
She hadn't counted on how much it would hurt, though, to see the blank shock on Theon's face. She'd twisted, knocked down the drunken fool when he'd tried to step in front of her. One zombie, then another - they'd chopped them into bits, but then she'd seen what he hadn't. The sword, heading for him, and there wasn't any way to push him out of the way.
So she'd stepped in front of it, took the piece of metal to her chest, it cutting through her and stealing her breath away. The zombie crumbled to dust as he caught her, his face white as she tasted copper. Breathing hurt. Hell, living hurt, right this second.
"Don't talk. Don't-" His words, she'd think when she had the time, were kind of pointless. Besides, she had things to say, and it wasn't like talking was going to stop her life from leaking out all over his hands.
"Shut up, will you?" Her voice was faint even to her own ears, the sword gone. She couldn't remember if she'd been the one to pull it out or if he had, and she kind of hoped she had. If he found out that leaving the sword in helped with the bleeding, then, well. He'd blame himself. "Guess it's a good thing, then." She didn't even register how incredulously he was staring at her.
It was all that Theon could do to cradle her tiny body against his. "Good?" His voice cracked as he watched as her skin grew paler, as that spark that was always in her eyes was starting to dim.
"That we fought. Gives you some space, because Gods know that if I was in your place I'd be a wreck." She tried to laugh, and coughed instead, the taste of copper faint to her tongue. It was good because that meant she'd never have to hope for a child, and that he'd find someone who could give him what he really wanted. "Don't forget me."
It wasn't a question - it was an order of sorts, and he gripped her closer. "Don't do this. I love you-" The raw, broken words were enough that her lips upturned slightly, and each blink was longer.
"Have children. Be happy. Name one for me?" Her eyes - those warm, honey-brown eyes welled with tears, and she closed her eyes, her breath a bare rattle. In that second - her last - she wished she could have had it all. That her love - their love had been enough, that she could have not lost everything before this moment. But life be damned (as it was) if she'd ever tell him that. If she'd ever tell him that she'd wished-
He was human. He was resiliant. He'd forget, slowly, how strong they'd felt, and what they'd wanted. He'd adapt, find a woman who was good enough, something far away from small and dark - tall and blonde, maybe, and she'd bear him a son, maybe a few daughters. He'd grow old, and she'd just be a tragic misstep in his life, the elf who he'd loved for all of a year before she'd been gone. She'd grow fuzzy, until only the bits she'd given him were left, more sentiment then memory.
She opened those eyes to look into his, sucking in a breath to tell him something that would never be said, because for all that she was human now, and had, what, forty more years? She suddenly had none.