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“I thought I’d lost,” Elyan choked out with a smile on his lips.
“You fought so bravely,” Gwen whispered. “Father would be so proud of you.”
Elyan smiled widely, letting the smile reach his eyes.
“Now come on,” Gwen smiled. “Let’s get you back to Camelot.”
“No,” Elyan said, “I won’t make it.”
“You’re talking nonsense,” Gwen muttered, “You’ll be fine.”
Elyan moved his hand from his chest. Blood crusted on his hands as he reached out to Gwen. Fresh blood oozed from his chest and stained through his undergarments.
Gwen screamed and ripped at her dress, and began to press the cloth to Elyans chest desperately. The blood immediately soaked through the cloth and started spilling on the floor. Gwen saw Elyan’s eyes flutter and he started to shake.
“Gwen,” Elyan whispered, “Gwen, stop it.”
“No!” Gwen screamed, “You are not getting off the hook that easily!”
Elyan looked at her quizzically. “Wha-,” Elyan started.
“I said I’m not letting you off the hook!” Gwen yelled through sobs. “You don’t get to leave me for five years to take care of Father and then just come back and die. You left me ALONE when he died, and now you get to be a coward and leave me again?”
Red hot tears streamed down Gwen’s face and onto Elyan’s chest. Her clear tears swirled with the red river flowing from Elyan’s wound.
“I-,” Elyan murmured.
“Let me guess,” Gwen whispered. “You’re sorry?”
“Yes,” choked Elyan.
“I know you are,” she replied in a hushed voice. “It’s not enough though, you left me, your baby sister. I needed you, Elyan. I still need you. Don’t leave me all alone.”
Elyan sobbed. He murmured what sounded like a mixture of apologies and begging for forgiveness. Gwen kept pressing cloth to his shaking chest.
Gwen realized that her efforts were in vain, nothing she could do would stop the flow of Elyan’s crimson river. She realized it would not stop until his heart had bled dry. Gwen looked at Elyan, her sugary brown eyes welled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” Elyan choked. “I’m so sorry I left you, hurt you… I’m sorry I’m going to do it again.”
“Elyan,” Gwen croaked. She didn’t get any further than that before her body was wracked with shaking sobs.
“I love you so much Gwen,” Elyan whispered. “Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” Gwen promised. “I won’t, I love you.”
Gwen slipped her arms further around Elyan and held him close. She clutched at him, and let her tears roll off her cheeks and splash onto Elyan.
Elyan grew paler as his life drained from his cheeks. He convulsed and coughed in his sister’s arms. Blood sprayed onto Gwen’s dress. He took sharp, shaky breaths as he looked at Gwen.
Gwen looked into Elyan’s eyes, searching for fear or fire, but his eyes were dark and solemn, he looked at her with regret and sadness.
She suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia, missing the spark that used to glisten in Elyan’s eyes. The way he would laugh with his belly when he would chase the family’s Newfoundland, Richie, around the house with a stick screaming, “Fear not, little sister! I shall slay this beast!”, before attempting to tackle the massive dog to the ground. She could remember laughing at Elyan, watching as he tried to jump on Richie and ride him like a horse.
Gwen remembered when they were very little, how their dad would pick them both up and set them on top of Richie. How Elyan would hold her waist with one arm and whip the other one around his head like a lasso. She remembered the sound of their giggles growing louder, as they screamed with joy. She remembered when Elyan would let her win when she would stand over him triumphantly, with the stick on his chest.
Gwen thought to herself of the irony, the joy she felt then, but how it crushed her entire essence to have this be real. She felt like someone had cracked her ribs open and gashed her lungs open to steal her breath. Her heart felt ragged and sharp in her chest.
“Elyan?”, Gwen croaked, as she tried to stifle her sobs.
“Hm?”, Elyan managed, as a cough tore through his chest, and blood splattered from his lips.
“Do you ever think of Richie?”Gwen whispered.
“Richie?”, Elyan echoed, as he closed his eyes, seemingly flipping through the folders of memories in his mind. “Richie… Richie! Not in ages, I’d nearly forgotten about him.”
“Oh,” Gwen replied. “Did you ever forget about me? After you left?”
Elyan didn’t respond. His eyes fluttered behind closed lids, and more blood dribbled from his chin. But his lips slowly formed a smile, and he took a shaky breath.
“Never,” Elyan smiled. “How could I forget my soul?”
“Oh,” Gwen said. “Oh.”
She had no words, she felt the sons tearing through her body. She doubled over and clutched at her stomach. Her head rested on Elyan’s shoulder and she let the sobs wreck through her body.
“Please,” Gwen pleaded, “Elyan, please. Do not leave me again.”
“I won’t leave,” Elyan promised. He reached up to touch Gwen. His hand brushed right over her heart. “See? I’ll always be right here with you.”
Gwen said nothing, she just held Elyan tightly. She pressed kisses into his cheek. She felt his skin get icey, and she saw his eyes fluttering. She saw him shake and tremble. She refused to let go of his hand, she clutched it close.
“Say hi to Richie for me,” Gwen smiled, “And you know, Mother and Father too.”
Elyan giggled, “Okay.”
And then it stopped. His heart stopped, he had gone limp in Gwen’s arms. His smile was still plastered on his face.
“Liar,” Gwen cried.
He had left her. He had taken his heart with her when he died. Gwen screamed and clutched at his clothes. It took all of the knights to pry Gwen off of Elyan's body. She screamed and kicked at them. She fought her way back to Elyan’s body over and over again until the exhaustion consumed her.