'til death do us part

7

"What is this?" Neuvillette looked at the closed letter. He could tell right away who it was from but the mere shock of it made him ask the question regardless. 

"It's addressed to you, Sir," Lyney stated. "From the capital." 

"No, I know, but why?" Neuvillette gritted his teeth. Hadn't he done things differently from the past two lives? Why was the archon getting in his way regardless? When they'd barely had any time socializing with each other? 

He ripped open the letter and examined the contents. Even more startled than before, he dropped it, taking a couple of steps back. This couldn't be possible. Can't be. He didn't understand. 

"Sir?" Lyney picked up the letter, staring at him confused but concerned more than anything. 

"This shouldn't be happening," he felt his chest tighten and his breathing become unsteady. All he knew was that he had to get away so he started walking, briskly, turning into a run. He ran out of the fortress. Not bothering to grab anything warm along the way. The snow picked up, swirling around him in a blizzard. He fell to his knees. 

"This shouldn't be happening," he repeated, holding his face in his hands. Snow getting worse. 

"Neuvillette?" Wriothesley called, struggling to step forward in the blizzard. The letter in his hands swept away by the wind. Snow hitting his face. Unusual for this time of year. 

"Neuvillette!" he called again. The more he tried to step forward the more the wind pushed him back but he persisted. 

"Neuvillette!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, holding his hands to his mouth. A small sprinkle of a path opened up for Wriothesley, if he noticed, which he absolutely did. He paved forward and pulled Neuvillette into his arms, asking nothing, just soothing. 

"I don't want to die," Neuvillette spoke quietly, slowly raising his arms to hug Wriothesley back. 

"I won't let that happen. I'm here for you, Neuvillette. I'll protect you. That's why you came to me, isn't it?" he assured. 

"She was like a daughter, she betrayed me twice, how can I go back and act normal around her? She was the cause of my death. I loved her dearly. Twice." He rambled on, letting all of his thoughts out, even though Wriothesley wouldn't quite understand them. 

"I won't betray you." 

"She said that too." 

"I won't betray you, Neuvillette," he repeated more firmly. "I'll go with you. We'll face her together." 

"You've never left the north, Duke." 

"There is a first time for everything. I'm not letting you do this alone." 

"Wriothesley..." 

"Yes?" 

"It's incredibly cold," he muttered. 

One second Wriothesley was holding Neuvillette and the next the only thing in his arms were his clothes. Body gone. Disappeared. He'd heard something like this before. A legend of people turning into water. His hands scrambled around in the snow, looking for a frozen puddle, panic running through his very veins. Was this how it ended? Was this how he lost the one thing he swore to protect? 

Underneath the clothing was a snake sprawled out and unconscious. Wriothesley could tell right away that this was his husband. The white scales with hints of blue here and there. He picked him up, putting him inside his shirt to try and warm him, and gathered the clothing. Luckily the snow seemed to settle. 

"I need hot water, quickly!" 

"Is he okay?" Lyney asked. 

"Hot water!" Wriothesley barked, storming off to his room. He stripped out of his outer layers soaked in snow, not bothering to put them where they belonged and placed more wood on the fire. He cuddled the snake close to his chest, sitting next to the flames even when it grew too hot for him. 

"Neuvi..." he felt himself overheating but refused to move. 

"I have the water for you, Sir," Lyney knocked before entering. 

"Put it next to me." 

Lyney nodded and placed the bowl down before scurrying away. 

Wriothesley grabbed it, placing it in front of him, and gently placed the snake inside. He couldn't think of anything else to help speed up the process. The snake's eyes opened once in the water. He stuck his tongue out, brushing it against Wriothesley's fingers. 

"Oh, thank fuck," Wriothesley wobbled, falling over.