Freed (Magics AU - Part 2)

Chapter 2 - Marcus

He was falling, plunging into a black abyss that surrounded him on all sides. There was nothing below him to stop or catch him, and there was nothing above him to grab ahold of. Even though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. There was only the stomach-flipping sensation of falling, one that caused his heart to leap to his throat. Although he knew that there was no one to catch him, he instinctively reached up for something, someone-

And opened his eyes to find Ruby leaning over him with a concerned and wistful expression. Startled, Marcus jerked against the rock-hard floor beneath him, whacking his head painfully. He groaned and closed his eyes again, lifting his hand and rubbing his forehead gingerly. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but at least he was awake now. It had only been a dream, not some twisted reality. 

"Are you all right?" Ruby asked quietly, her voice hesitant and worried. Marcus opened his eyes again and saw that she had leaned back, but she was still looking at him with her anxious green eyes. 

Marcus waved his hand dismissively, shoving himself into a sitting position. "I'm fine," he told her with a soft smile. Though he figured she probably didn't believe him, he didn't want to worry her more by telling her the truth. He knew how horrible that was, but he didn't even want to hear the truth himself. 

Taking a few deep breaths, the king looked about him briefly. Falte was on his side a few paces away, his back to them. He was silent, which was more common now, but Marcus knew that the adviser was asleep. Though it was hardly ever light in the dungeon, it was dark enough for Marcus to understand that it was either the middle of the night, or early in the morning. 

"What about you?" Marcus asked, looking back at his wife again. "Are you..." He trailed off, suddenly realizing that this was the first time he had actually taken a close look at Ruby since they had been thrown in the dungeon. Just the thought of that, the fact that he'd been focusing on himself more than his wife, made him want to scream at himself and feel sick at the same time. Ruby looked exhausted, but not just physically. She looked mentally and emotionally exhausted, like she had finally reached her limit of feeling or thinking. She was thinner than before, and she looked defeated - something that Marcus never would have imagined her looking like. She hadn't shown a real smile, Marcus realized, in far too long. 

Ruby was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to finish his question. She obviously didn't realize that Marcus now understood that he'd been selfish - that he hadn't been a proper husband. He hadn't been caring for her, he hadn't been there for her. 

"Come here," Marcus told her softly, opening his arms and gesturing her forward. 

At first, Ruby just stared at him. But after a few moments, she looked down at his open arms and her eyes filled with tears. Her subtle, quiet demeanor crashed down like a wall, and she scooted forward until she was fitted perfectly against Marcus's chest. With her head buried in the crook of his shoulder, she clung to him like she used to when they were first married. 

Marcus tried to find words to encourage her, but what could he say? Everything's going to be all right? How could he say that when he didn't even know if they were going to live to see the next few years? How could he say that to her when they had lost everything?

So, he remained silent and stroked her head, running his fingers through her hair, in the comforting way that he knew she liked. For a while she was crying into his shoulder without saying anything to him, but eventually she was silent as she held him like a lifeline. Marcus closed his eyes and rested his chin on her head, and for a moment...

Reality fell away, and it was just the two of them, together until the end.

~

It took almost an hour for Marcus to realize that Ruby had fallen asleep in his arms, but even when he did notice, he still didn't move. He didn't want to wake her up - he understood that sleeping was, most of the time, the only sense of peace that they were blessed to have. However, when nightmares plagued his mind, which was beginning to happen more often, Marcus had the strong urge to somehow silence his brain.