Timeless Two

27

Grey feels himself wrapped in layers of air so he becomes completely immobile even as Jaylen pushes her way to Ari. She checks Ari for a pulse and feels as the last one fades away. "She is dead. As kin to the dead prisoner I claim her body, we will prepare her body and return it to the family crypt where she will be laid to rest properly. The poor girl will finally find peace."

The judges nod their acceptance. As Jaylen releases Ari from the cuffs that kept her in the wheelchair the curse that was on Grey's knife is released. All the judges, or at least almost all the judges fall even as they stand to leave. The bailiff in shock disbelief checks the pulse of each of them and announces stunned, "They are dead."

Grey hides his feelings at those words, all he can say to himself is good. The magic that keeps him locked up keeps him from Ari's body and all he wants is to hold her one last time. He feels someone stop next to him and looks over to find his cousin. "I'm sorry Grey, but I can't afford to let you free just now. I need you to live and so does, Ari."

"What the hell do you mean Anna? I've played my part, I've killed the only woman I've ever loved and you won't even let me hold her to say goodbye. I thought I was the cruel one in this family." Grey says anger coats his tongue making his words as sharp as a dagger that pierces Anna deeply.

"I didn't want to say anything until we were sure that it would work but there is a chance that Ari can still be saved from everything. The trees even now are cleansing her body of the poison and Jaylen is administering a potion to heal her body of the wound to her heart. If it works Ari will be able to live, but only if her anchor lives." Anna decides that she has to tell Grey, it's too difficult to maintain the magic necessary to keep him from killing himself.

Grey is tired of the games of the trees or half understood words of his cousin. "Just spit it out Anna what the hell are you talking about?"

"Just before Ari died she created a bond with you, so that she had an anchor to this life. If the potion works and the anchor is alive, Ari has a good chance of returning. If she returns Grey, you'll be able to be with her once more. But if you kill yourself, you remove the only anchor she has to this life and she will be gone." Anna explains but Grey doesn't change expressions he just stares at her.

"Let me go Anna. I need to hold Ari." Anna is afraid she's only ever heard Grey use that tone once. She lets him go.

Grey goes to Ari's body and takes her into his arms and lets his tears fall. He doesn't in any other way interfere with Jaylen's forcing the potion down Ari's throat.

"Grey, come we are getting in the way." Taren urges Grey to put down Ari's body but Grey refuses.

Not even looking at his friend he asks him something. "Tell me something Taren, I've never asked before because you've always became angry but I'm asking now. Who is you father?"

The familiar anger rises up to choke Taren, but looking at his heartbroken friend before him he swallows his anger and answers honestly, "Your father is also mine."

Grey just gives a slight nod, "So she was right about that as well. Dammit Taren why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would reject you..."

"No, my mother made me promise to never tell you. Your father was just having fun with her, it wasn't anything serious. Mother knew that if he found out he'd force her to have an abortion so she never told him. He left her before it was obvious and she made sure that he never found out. Once I was born she was afraid that he would think she was after his money and position. And once he went to the Aelven lands well there was no point in saying anything.

"I was grateful for your friendship Grey, I didn't say anything because I didn't want to lose that." Taren replies wondering if maybe he lost it anyways.

"So you chose to deny us both the chance to be brothers as well as friends?" Grey replies only now looking at his friend. "You know there have been times when I thought even a brother couldn't be closer to me than you. I guess I was right. Leave me alone now Taren." Grey's voice lacks emotion and Taren looks at his friend, his brother, Grey is broken. Slowly he backs away but he can't bring himself to leave. If this potion doesn't work then his friend will die, Taren doesn't doubt it.

Anna waits with baited breath holding Taren's hand tightly in hers as Jaylen continues forcing the potion down the dead woman's throat. She hates seeing Grey like this. Her big strong cousin has always been her pillar of support especially when her parents died so suddenly and tragically in the Aelven attack. It was then that Grey started changing and became the man that the Aelven learned to fear.

Anna doesn't know how many Aelven lives he's taken but she does know that even when the raids were over, Grey followed them back and continued killing them here in their own land. Grey's hands were just as bloody as the so called bloody prince of the Aelven.

Anna's attention returns to the girl in Grey's arms. Their cousin. It seems fantastical that she could be their cousin, an Aelven for a cousin. How much more ironic could fate get? Oh yeah, having Grey who hates the Aelven with a depth and passion that couldn't be beat fall in love with one. And looking at him now there is no doubt in Anna's mind that Grey is in love with Ari.

Ari had done much to help her cousin. The hatred that had been eating at him and destroying him is gone. Which is all for the better since the release of the curse reports of the dead have been climbing to staggering heights.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a hesitant voice, "What are you doing with the dead prisoner? That's not how you prepare a body." The only remaining judge asks more than a little nervously. After all he still isn't sure why he's still alive and the others are dead.

Anna jerks her attention to the judge at his first word. She's so startled that she says more than she means too, "How are you still alive?"

The judge focuses his attention on her and replies honestly and with no little trepidation, "I don't know."

He then focuses back on the dead girl, "I saw the footage of what those bastards did to her. She was truly innocent and didn't deserve to die. Had the others not been so filled with hatred they would have seen that. She should be free instead of dead. She is your cousin is she not? General Grey's as well if I'm not mistaken. Ordering Grey to kill his own cousin I think was done out of sheer spite. That ass was furious that a half grown girl was able to spike his plans."

"My cousin, the half grown girl, is the reason we were able to come today. Hell she's the reason the world still stands today, but that was never brought to light," Anna replies bitterly.

The living judge looks at her inquisitively, "What do you mean Lady Anna?"

"Ari, she lowered the Aelven defenses and then dismantled the automatic fail safe launch of the nuclear warhead buried here. She did all that even though she was dying from the poison the queen placed on the controls. Ari stopped the nuclear war the queen wanted, a war that would have destroyed this world." Anna says bitterly.

"Then this world owes her more than it could ever repay and instead she finds death at the hands of her cousin." The judge replies softly almost to himself.

"At the hands of her lover, judge. Grey and Ari loved each other. But in the end death is all that awaited Ari. The poison that seeped into Ari's skin is inevitably deadly. If she hadn't had some incredibly strong pain blockers she would have died several days ago in the worst agony imaginable. The only reason Grey accepted the role of executioner was because the pain blockers were becoming useless. By the time Grey killed Ari, she was starting to feel the pain once more. Grey had seen what it did to her before the pain blocker was administered and even he wouldn't want anyone to go through that kind of pain. Especially not her, she's gone through so much. Now she'll be able to find peace, but not my cousin Grey."

Grey is now openly weeping his tears have already started to soak Ari's hair.