Gone Too Soon

Evret's Afterlife

His eyes fluttered open and all he could see was white. The area around him glowed like the Earth did every night in the Lunar sky.

Luna. He remembered what happened to him. He was with Levana, and he was shot, trying to protect her.

He remembered her killing the attacker, but knew she wanted that man to come and kill him. He knew somehow while he was on the ground, bleeding out, that she wanted him to die.

The last thing he knew, Winter was sitting beside him, crying. He told her not to be afraid, not to be scared, and to be kind and caring, just like he knew she would be.

Evret's head pounded and chest numbed. He peered and himself and saw that the blood was gone. He wasn't even wearing his night clothes anymore. He was in a simple white shirt and black slacks. It reminded him of how he looked at his wedding. The one he wanted to go to, when he married Solstice.

A small blip appeared in the distance. It grew larger with every passing second. A great wind rushed past him and against his face. The smell of the ocean overwhelmed him, just like it did the day he first married.

The spot was large enough to identify as a person now. He could see red waves of material flashing around them, and long, dark hair waving in the breeze. Then it dawned on him, this person looked like someone else he saw on the wedding day that this place was reminding him of.

"Sol?" he whispered.

"Evret," the entity called back. The same sweet voice he knew then matched what he was hearing now.

"Solstice!" He lifted himself off the ground, and instantly felt immeasurable pain. He tried his best to ignore it, and slowly walked toward the figure. As he got closer, it resembled his lost love more and more, which made him try harder to get to her sooner.

He was almost to her. Nothing changed about her. Her hair was just as long and reached down to her elbows. The same eyes gleamed with the shade of honey he saw in his daughter's eyes. The dress she wore to their wedding was a perfect match to her complexion and fluttered at her ankles.

Only yards away, he stumbled and fell. His legs had tricked him and gave out when he needed them the most. He attempted to stand on his feet again, but he was too weak. He couldn't hope to continue walking, not when his body was too broken and wounded.

A hand lightly gripped his shoulder. "It's okay, Evret. You can rest now."

He faced the origin of the sound and saw his wife. The one he loved and the mother of his child. "Sol."

She smiled upon hearing her name. "Hello, sweetie. It's been a long time." She helped him into a sitting position and rubbed his back. "I'm sorry I left you. That wasn't fair .. to leave you with her."

"Winter wasn't any trouble, Sol," he assured. "She's sweet and kind and-"

"That's not who I was talking about." Her form crushed. "I meant ... Levana."

Guilt washed over him in waves. "Sol, I'm so sorry. I had to marry her. She would have hurt our baby and .. I couldn't let her do that."

Her finger brushed unruly curls out of his face. She then cupped his cheek and kissed the other. "I know, Evret. You did the right thing. You gave up everything to keep our baby safe. I couldn't ask for a better husband."

He smiled and let the bliss of hearing her voice sink in. The last time he was her, the real her, was more than a decade ago. He leaned toward her and let his head fall to her shoulder. She played with is hair hand slipped her hand into his.

Evret looked down at their hand, hoping it would make him feel more united with Solstice. But it only made him feel worse. He saw the two rings on his finger and wanted to gag. One for Solstice, and the other for Levana. The woman who forced him to marry her and be kind to her. She was horrible to everyone, and especially to him.

He let go of Solstice's hand and gripped the second ring. First, he twisted it off his finger and store at it in disgust, then cast it off into the white abyss around them. Good rid-dens.

Evret looked back to Solstice, who was radiating sadness and guilt. "I'm sorry I left you, Evret. I should have tried harder to keep going. I just-" Water fell from her eyes. "I wasn't strong enough."

He painstakingly turned on his side and brushed his thumb under her eyes to rid her of the tears. "It's not your fault, Sol. You gave the world a beautiful little girl to behold for years to come." Their hands entwined again. "And she's just as beautiful as you."

Sol visibly blushed and stopped crying. "Why do you have to be so .. flattering all the time?"

"It helps to have a wonderful woman as your wife," he added with a grin.

"Stop it," she sighed.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close. "Never." He brushed a few of her curls behind her.

Evret knew that know he was dead. All the power in the world couldn't bring Solstice back to the land of the living, so he when to the land of the dead. No matter how hard the last ten years of his life was, he could push it back down and enjoy the eternity he'd get to spend with his wife, the one he loved.

It only felt like hours as they sat in the white, endless room. In reality, it had been years. But that was what he always wanted. To spend every last second he could with Solstice. What did it matter now that they were no longer on Luna?

Thought Evret was worried about his child, Winter, he could have some faith. Jacin and Gareth would never let any harm come to his daughter.

Finally, after years of torment at the hands of the murderous Lunar Queen Levana, Evret was at peace.