The Ghost of a Guardian

Chapter Fifteen: Don't you Fret Monsieur

There was silence. All that was heard was the sound of everyone's breathing. Christopher sighed, noticing he was defeated and turned to walk away. Annabeth let out a breath as if she was holding her breath this whole time. Erik looked up at Annabeth with a weak smile.

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead.

He grabbed his sword putting it back in its holder. Erik got up and held Annabeth's hands to help her up. She giggled slightly as he spun her around and held her from behind, the light rain making her hair cling to her face.

He swung her around. He let go of her as they started walking towards the doorway, suddenly Annabeth heard something. They were footsteps, but they weren't theirs. She turned around and saw Christopher running towards them from behind a statue, his sword shortened into a dagger pointed toward Erik's back.

"No!" Annabeth whispered, jumping in front of Erik's back.

She grabbed Erik's sword and held it in front of her. The sound of a sword meeting its target filled the air. Erik turned around quickly when he heard the gut wrenching noise. Annabeth stood there holding a blood stained sword tightly clutched in her hands. Christopher laid there, a pool of crimson fluid forming in the pure white snow. She dropped the sword.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Erik asked just a slight touch away from reaching her shoulder. Her knees buckled and she fell backwards into his arms. He saw bloody dagger the was loosely grasped in Christopher's dead hand. "Annabeth!" Erik screamed. "Good God, what are you doing? Have you no fear? Annabeth, what's wrong? There's something wet upon your hair. Annabeth, you're hurt. You need some help. Oh, God, it's everywhere!" He held her stomach.

"Don't you fret, monsieur Erik. I don't feel any pain." She tried to smile, but it looked pained. "A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now. You're here, that's all I need to know." She put a hand to his face. "You will keep me safe, you will keep me close, and rain will make the flowers grow." She smiled weakly.

"But you will live, Annabeth - dear God above, if I could heal your wounds with words of love." He was trying so hard not to cry, she cut him off.

"Just hold me now, and let it be. Shelter me, comfort me." She coughed up a bit of blood.

"You would live a hundred years." He sat and pulled her whole body into his lap, holding her tight. "If I could show you how, I won't desert you now." Tears slowly fell down his cheek, landing in her messy blonde curls.

"The rain can't hurt me now; this rain will wash away what's past." She choked on her words again. "And you will keep me safe and you will keep me close. I'll sleep in your embrace at last." She looked up at the sky with a welcoming smile. "The rain that brings you here is Heaven-blessed! The skies begin to clear, and I'm at rest. A breath away from where you are. I've come home from so far. So don't you fret, monsieur Erik."

"Hush-a-bye, dear Annabeth." He kissed the top of her head. He could she the life slowly fading from her eyes. He hated not being able to do anything about it. "You won't feel any pain, a little fall of rain, can hardly hurt you now. I'm here, I will stay with you. Till you are sleeping." He stroked her hair again, a sob escaping from his lips.

"And rain..." She trailed off, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"And rain..." He repeated.

"Will make the flowers..." She trailed off again as her lifeless hand fell to her side.

"Will make the flowers... grow..." He completed. He kissed her lips softly before picking her up and carrying her out of the church.

THE END