Only Time Could Tell (Red Queen One Shot)

Only Time Could Tell

The darkness that once haunted her nightmares now came in an inviting embrace as she lay there on the floor, blood staining her barely heaving chest.

The sound of men rushing past her only made her cringe in fear of being stepped on but the sudden reminder of shocking blue eyes framed by pale soft skin calmed her once more. It was brought to her attention long before that pain was something she could control but in that moment it seemed nearly impossible.

The brown haired girl opened her eyes once again to be met with a dark sky only illuminated by a bright full moon and countless of stars sprinkled across the heavens. A cough racked her body and warm liquid sputtered out, the color was as red as the flag that was draped across her.

She had believed the guard to be true to its cause, to be as good and kind as she had been thought to believe but she was wrong. More wrong than she had ever been before. They were cold, malicious, and traitorous. Beings meant to kill and slaughter for their own advantage. To leave her when she was of no use to them anymore.

Another cough, more violent than before, forced her to roll to her side. A familiar face, long dead, faced her. Tawny hair framed his bloody features but what caught her attention was not the blood or the closed eyes that would no longer open and brighten up her day but the peaceful smile on his face.

A tear slipped down her eye, stinging the wounds but they were no longer a bother. She was growing numb. Numb from pain and numb from the suffering she had once felt. A hand of her own raised above her, reaching for the stars in a last attempt of rebellion. She had become the hope of the people and of much more but now she was only a broken girl with nothing left to live for.

The faces of her family and friends swarmed her head, sparks of her well known lightning covered her lightly tanned skin. "This was the only way it would end.." her thoughts raced, tears falling in numbers now. "Maven...Maven...Maven..." the name haunted her ever since everything started...since the moment she knew she loved him. It came to her attention now that he was the one she should had stayed with.

"R-Red Queen..." Her voice came out in agonizing croaks. The same words he had called her long ago when he was still the forgiving man and still somehow loved her. She could hear steps coming towards her again, letting her hand drop and eyes close to make them think she was nothing but a corpse. The girl wanted her peace believing her fight was over.

The steps stopped suddenly and to her surprise she was turned over carefully. An unknown male voice called out to someone, telling them about her condition. "What now? Who else will decide that my suffering should entertain them?" her own question was left unanswered, a violent cough consumed her ability to even think. More blood escaped her lips and all she could do was roll over in pain.

"Mare?" the voice she had only hoped to hear had spoken to her. She felt her eyes flutter open and land on the person she longed to see the most. The one she hoped would live on from the fight and receive everything he deserved, unlike his brother.

"M-Maven.." she thought, a tired smile claiming her lips. The lightning girl could no longer keep fighting. She was dying and he knew it. The bloody wound inflicted to her by the people she had trusted was draining her of energy. A soft hand was placed upon her scarred cheek and the feeling of just his simple touch brought back memories that she had buried deep in her mind.

"Mare." he said more sternly now. The silver king barked orders, his own face a distressed mess of pain and regret when he turned back to look at the woman that lay dying before him.

"N-No.." she managed to say through the pain. It was her time to die in her mind and he wanted her to stay. The girl knew that her living would only bring him pain and suffering.

"Yes." his own voice was broken and the silver king facade broke down to reveal the boy she now admitted she loved.

Regret consumed her mind when he held her hand, crying softly beside her. She remembered the countless nights they would spend dancing under the stars in each others arms. How he had taken her innocence from her in a way no other man could have. She regretted not standing by his side when he needed her the most and now she lay dying with him by her side.

Her eyes looked deep into his icy blue ones before they moved to his dark hair, admiring how perfect he looked even in his state of vulnerability. "I love you." she said, repeating it over and over until a smile she had longed to see appeared on his face. It was broken, a ghost of a smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I love you Mare." his words being more sincere than ever before. He meant it and he knew saying them would convince him to do everything in his power to save her.

Mare Barrow gave him one last smile before letting the pain take over, the darkness slowly taking over her sight. "Death. Is this death?" she asked herself, felling the light pressure of his lips against hers. She returned the kiss, being as selfish as she was she wanted one more kiss from him and so much more but it was over for her, nothing else would come after.

He kissed her with as much love as he could handle, distracting her from the healers now working on repairing her body. It came to no surprise to him that she wouldn't notice and even if she did the simple kiss he gave her would keep her fighting...or so he thought. "I love you more than my own life." a kiss came after his words.

Mare could feel them healing her but her body was shutting down on her. Or was it the numbness she had felt before? In truth she had forgotten and the darkness had taken over most of her sight. "I love you Maven.." she whispered.

She held on to him like he was her only hope but maybe he was much more than that. Her smile to him never faded...Mare Barrow forgot everything in her past and focused on the man beside her, the man she loved, just as the darkness consumed her completely. Whether it was death or just an effect of the pain, only time could tell.