The Raven & The Spider (CURRENTLY UNDERGOING HEAVY EDITING)

Chapter 25 - Burn

Doll's POV (First Person):

I hadn't wanted Robin to get involved in this mess... I hadn't wanted to hurt Robin like that... But it was the only way to protect her from everything going on. She was my best friend and I myself was already in too deep in the mess. The very last thing I wanted was for her to lose her hope like I'd lost mine.

I sighed sadly as I tied her horse to a nearby tree so it wouldn't run off. I re-mounted my horse and rode quickly towards the burning mansion.

As I approached, I realized just how terrible the fire actually was. "Oh my god..." I whispered. "What the hell 'appened 'ere?"

I looked towards the destruction and gasped. "Where's Joker?!?" I jumped off my horse and began running towards the flames. "Joker where are you!?!"

Suddenly, something slowly emerged from the fire... The shadow approached me... and something I never would've expected... broke my very world...

Your POV (Second Person):

You awoke slowly to the sound of chirping birds and sunshine hitting your face. It took a few moments, but you finally enabled your (e/c) eyes to open and view your surroundings.

A blue sky... and trees... where am I?

You struggled as you sat up. Your head hurt like hell and you quickly reached up to your forehead to feel a slight bump where you'd been hit.

Wait a moment... hit... Doll... and - and the fire...

You jumped up suddenly and looked towards the mansion which was now little more than a heap of ash and ruins in the middle of the clearing. You gasped. Where was Doll?

You walked over to your black horse and untied it from the tree, then carefully mounted it. You rode towards the mansion to see if you could find anyone, but what you saw was something you never would have expected.

There, near the front steps of the destruction, was a body... a body of someone all too familiar. You jumped off your stallion and ran towards the limp person and screamed out in disbelief, "Doll!"

You fell to your knees next to your friend's form and held her corpse tightly. "No... no this can't be..." You could feel the tears start rolling down your face, but you just let them. You let them flow like a waterfall and onto the ground below... "Doll... no... wake up! Wake up, Doll!"

You stayed like that, screaming and crying for what seemed like days, but it was no use. Your best friend... and the person who'd saved you from a terrible fate... was now dead.

You despised the song the birds sang. How could they sound so happy at a time like this? How could the sun be shining at a moment of pure darkness? How could the sky be blue, and the breeze be warm, and the place so peaceful!?!?

You slowly placed Doll down and wiped the tears from your eyes. I guess the only thing to do now was head back to camp and find the others, but you didn't want to leave Doll, and you couldn't very well just carry a dead body along with you.

You stood up from the ground and walked over to the ruins to find a few areas of flame still burning. You picked Doll up in your arms and heaved her over to a particularly big patch of fire, and shakily set her down.

More tears would've formed as you watched your best friend burn, if it hadn't been for the fact that you'd cried all you could already. You shook and hugged yourself tightly in an effort to maintain some of your composure. You waited, until the last of her was gone and you then watched her ashes fly into the wind...

You looked up at the sky, to see it now decorated with bright hues of yellow, orange, red, purple, pink, and blue. You smiled wistfully at the colorful expanse above you, then turned to mount your horse once again.

There was nothing you could do now... Nothing you could do to save your friend. The only thing to do now, was to make your way back home and tell the others what had happened...

About 12 hours of riding later...

You finally approached the camp, completely exhausted. Although you'd been knocked out for most of the night before, you could hardly count that as a refreshing and restoring sleep.

You rode your black horse into the stables and unsaddled the horse, which proved to be a very difficult task, seeing as your hands were nearly numb.

You made your way past the tents, thankful that the lanterns lit your path through the dark area, but stopped when you saw Henry standing outside the mess tent. He seemed to be packing up the empty crates, along with the other workers, that had most likely held ingredients for that evening's dinner.

"Henry!" You called out as you rushed over to him in a desperate manner.

Henry turned, and took notice of your exhausted and trembling body almost immediately. "Robin?!?!" He gasped, as he dropped the empty crate he'd been carrying and ran over to you.

The other worker's attention had been drawn to you by this point and began walking over to greet you as well.

"Robin! Are you okay?" Asked Henry with worry clouding his features. "Where were you!?!"

You could barely stand. After all the riding, your legs were trembling. After the blow to your head recently, you could barely think. And after all the pain... seeing your best friend's limp body... and having to watch her burn... you could barely stay strong...

Recounting everything that had just occurred, you broke down. Henry rushed over to you and held you in his arms like a friend would and tried to calm you down.

"Robin... it's okay." He said quietly. "Whatever happened, it's over now. You're safe."

Tears continued pouring down your cheeks. This was the most you'd ever cried... except maybe when Luka... and Jim had...

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, you felt your vision darken and your body lose consciousness. Distorted voices and shapes were all you were aware of, before everything disappeared once again.