The Wretched and Divine {Black Veil Brides}

17 - In The End

    I glanced up at the man in the cathedral, his words lost in the wind.  He was desperate, crying out to try and make people fear him, but I didn’t see that in the faces of the men and women around me.  Instead we were all smiling, tearfully and with nostalgic thoughts of people we’d lost in the backs of our minds but grinning nevertheless.  The heat of the fire behind me was a comfort, no longer dragging me into an abyss of darkness.  She was with me, I could feel it.  The horse, the fire, the very heavens above all held that glint, that beauty and strength of the woman who loved me.  I knew that Jinxx was yelling at me, chasing after me to try and stitch the wound on my side closed, but I also recognized that if we didn’t do something now, we may not get the chance again.

    My feet unconsciously turned me towards Eagle, hands grasping his mane as I leapt into place.  I was in raptures at the idea of being astride with this animal, understanding in an instant what Light felt.  How could she be here though, with me as she said?  In the end, as the soul is laid to rest…what is left of the body?  Are we just shells and I imagined the entire ordeal with Light, CC, and Pitts?  It was almost unthinkable to wonder if I had truly lost it, but the grin splitting my mouth was one that wasn’t apprehensive of death.  The concept was simple but whether or not Light had visited me was more pertinent at the moment.  Would she be with me as we ran into battle?

    The crowd around me was watching, wondering what I was going to do from the back of this creature.  I was just waiting a moment, hoping she would give me a sign.  My eyes glanced up at the sky, the sun starting to rise on the horizon.  How had night come and gone without notice?  I had fought, and flesh and blood, I commanded an army;   through it all, I gave my home for a moment of glory.  Teeth began to grind, eyes filling with tears.  I missed her…was it worth it?

    A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my middle, though when I looked down there was nothing there.  Heart in my throat, I couldn’t help smiling.  She was here, no one could see her but I could feel her.  It took away that question, that wonder of if I had gone crazy and if, when I died, I would simply fade.  She was proof of something I had never believed in before; she was always validity of something better.  I beamed like a fool, turning the horse to face my men, my soldiers…my wild ones.  We were one and the same, hearts beating to the same tempo while minds linked.  This was it, this was the end.

    And we would make it one to remember.

    “My brethren, we have all felt the sting of F.E.A.R., all shared in the agony and torture of this place.  We have a chance at future not riddled in pain, a brightness that all of us can grasp!  I know many of you are scared of dying but look at the field around you!  There are dead all around, but not a single of them is you!”

    The eyes were looking at me now, sparks of hope turning to flames of victory in an instant.

    “In the end, as you fade into the night…who’s going to be telling this story!?  Who will be telling the story of our lives!” I paused, looking to Jinxx and Doll and Ashley.  “Who will remember your last goodbye?”  I turned back to the men, walking the horse so I could meet each of their gazes.  “If we don’t fight now, if we don’t end this now there will be no future for you or me or any one of us!    It’s the end…” 

    My fist raised into the air, watching the hope blossom in all of my soldiers’ faces, their weapons held high above their heads as a cry of conquest went up.  Dirtied, bloodied and fearless, they looked to me for leadership.  The arms around my waist moved, fingers touching my face.  I saw her as I turned, a glimpse of the Light I knew, the woman I loved.  I wasn’t afraid of anything because she was here and this was it, this was the end of it all.