Trigger warning: blood, gore, and profanity.
Leila was on her knees. Her knees were soaked with blood.
Blood, his blood, Ali's blood,
Ali. Ali was in her arms, bleeding out, clutching her arm as she cradled him in her lap.
His mouth had bobbed, open and shut as he gasped, trying desperately to get a hold of some air.
But the sword had buried itself in his lungs, then torn a gash wide open through his chest when he'd fallen back, onto the ground, pushing it deeper.
The man had died. She didn't know how. Someone had struck him down, but it hadn't been Leila because Leila was on her knees and her knees were bloodied and they were bodied with Ali's blood because Ali—
"Haith..." the word was barely a sound, barely anything against the whistle of air escaping his orifice.
Leila's hand were gentle on his cheeks as she cupped them, eyes blurring and then clearing as her tears fell onto her brother's all too pale cheeks. She couldn't speak. Her mouth was open, gaping, air rushing in and out of her but she couldn't speak. She could only watch as Ali took another wheeze of a breath. "Under...groun...he...he knew..." his eyes flashed wide as Leila watched, helpless.
Helpless. She was helpless again. She was helpless and he was dying, Ali was dying, he was clutching her forearm but his hold was getting weaker and his breaths were getting louder and goodness Almighty was a chest supposed to sound like that? Was a chest supposed to move like that? And how was Ali, faithful, foolish Ali, how was Ali supposed to breath like that and he was dying, he was dying, he was,
dead.
He was dead.
Unmoving in her arms.
He was dead,
and all Leila could do was bring his lifeless body closer, feel the press of him on her chest as she looked up, face cringed, neck tensed, shoulders hunched and there was this sound,
goodness,
what a sound.
An ear-splitting sound that sent a chill through her and—
distantly. So very distantly she registered that the sound came out of her. That she was wailing.
She was holding Ali's lifeless body and she was wailing.
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Collaterals
FantasíaThe Tainish Empire is the largest Empire in the world. Ruling over 43 colonies, it includes 5 of the world's most influential kingdoms and bears hostage their second-born children. Leila has been home just once, and that was seven years ago. Perhap...
