Skulduggery Pleasant - Night of the Dying Rose

Chapter 23- Understand Me

Valkyrie looked up at Enthymema Asylum, and decided that it was the creepiest abandoned Asylum that she had even been to. Mainly because the moment she walked in, she saw dried blood that was over several years old stained to the walls. She shuddered, this wasn't a nice place. That was putting it lightly. Taking a deep breath, Valkyrie forced herself to walk onwards, not dwelling on the bloodstained, or the torn coats that had once belonged to Doctors and Nurses. The place looked like it hadn't been touched in years, but if Artemis was telling the truth, and Valkyrie believed she was; then Little Rose was here somewhere, hiding away, most likely silently giggly at Valkyrie for looking at every shadow and moving around like a startled rabbit. Valkyrie scanned the floors and the walls for any traps, her eyes keen and sharp.

"You keep forgetting to look at the ceiling." Skulduggery said from behind.

Valkyrie shrieked, whirling, immediately clamping a hand over her mouth to silence herself. She glared daggers at Skulduggery, who just tilted his head at her with stiff amusement.

"What are you doing here?!" Valkyrie whisper shouted.

"Making sure you don't die a horrible, gruesome death due to your own stupidity." Skulduggery replied at normal volume. "I don't see why you're whispering since she knows we're here."

"You just can't let me go my own way can you?" Valkyrie hissed.

"No, not when you decide to do something as foolish as facing her alone." Skulduggery replied with a hard tone. "Honestly Valkyrie what were you thinking? That doing this alone would keep ME safe? That this was something you had to deal with because she's after you? Since when do we ever work like that?"

"Since now." Valkyrie snapped.

"Well that's hardly fair is it?" Skulduggery tilted his head.

"Just leave me alone.."

"Now we both know I can't do that Valkyrie, you'll eventually grow to adore this newfound company in this daring escapade of yours."

Valkyrie scowled. "Why can't you let me do this alone?!"

"Because we're partners, and partners win together, or get crushed together. Until the end, remember?"

Valkyrie hesitated.

"Yes I thought so, come along then."
Valkyrie sighed, following
Skulduggery reluctantly. "You're not mad at me?"

"Oh I'm furious, I'm just being a good partner and forgiving you for this rather reckless and childish behaviour. I'm a wonderful partner aren't I?"

"Yeah and you never stop saying that." Valkyrie grumbled.

Skulduggery looked back at her. "I've said that ONCE before."

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, and she couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, all that talk about you claiming to remember everything? Bullshit."

"That's charming that is." Skulduggery huffed.

Valkyrie laughed, and finally felt a little relieved that she had Skulduggery for this. She had to admit, she hadn't been thinking straight before.

"I must ask though Valkyrie, why did you want to do this alone?"

Valkyrie hesitated. "You're just going to think I'm an idiot even more."

Skulduggery stopped, turning to her and tilting his head. "I promise I won't lecture you."

"Cross your metaphorical heart?"
Skulduggery chuckled. "Cross my metaphorical heart.

"Valkyrie nodded and took a deep breath. "I wanted to do this alone because I didn't want you to see me act like a coward if I killed her."

Skulduggery said nothing, waiting for Valkyrie to continue.

And so she did. "When I think about the prospect of killing Little Rose...my mind keeps coming back to the day I killed Alice to get the sceptre...I know it's different in many ways but...I didn't want you to see me fail if I couldn't bring myself to kill her...I didn't want to let you down."

Valkyrie fell quiet, and Skulduggery remained still for a few moments. And then he walked over, pulling Valkyrie into a hug.

"I would never be disappointed with you Valkyrie, you could never let me down." He said softly. "I understand Valkyrie, truly I do, you didn't need to hide that from me, I knew that you would struggle...I'm here for you Valkyrie, you're never alone with your regrets, we share ours and we work through them. Together."

"Until the end..." Valkyrie murmured.

Skulduggery nodded. "Until the end."

Skulduggery pulled away and Valkyrie wiped away her escaped tears, composing herself before walking on. Skulduggery followed beside her.

Valkyrie frowned and glanced at him.

"I hate to cut the emotional moment short. But do we know where the hell we are even going in this asylum?"

Skulduggery turned his head slightly towards her and shrugged. "We're following our gut, and your gut and my figurative one is saying to go downstairs to the lower levels. I trust my fake gut and you trust yours, we'll be fine."

"But we actually have no idea where we're going do we?"

Skulduggery shrugged again. "No not really."