The Assassin and Her Prince

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter eighteen

Hesitantly, Callum plucks the blade out of the air and gulps. Blood trickles out from the corners of Rayla's mouth and his resolve solidifies. Even if she doesn't love him; even if they aren't soul mates, to Callum, it doesn't matter. He loves her with all his heart and he'll do whatever it takes to protect her.

With an iron grip, he turns the blade towards his own chest and plunges the steel deep into his ribcage. A searing hot pain blossoms in his heart and bleeds through his abdomen. He releases a sharp cry of pain followed by a gaspy whimper as sticky scarlet blood stains his white cotton shirt. With a final rattling breath and the taste of iron still fresh in his mouth, his vision blurs and white light erases his surroundings as he loses consciousness.

"Callum. Callum. Cal, wake up, you're scaring me."

Someone's shaking his shoulder. They want him to wake up, but he can't; he's dead. He rolls over mumbling something that might have been, "Go away, I'm dead," but was indiscernible with a face full of luminous mushrooms.

Ezran leans down so that his mouth is beside his older brother's ear.

"CALLUM!" he yells, effectively shaking Callum back to earth.

He gasps, breathing coming easier than expected, and takes in the scene before him. The first thing he notices is that Rayla, who looks just as dazed and confused as he is, is sitting up, completely unharmed, wearing an expression of confusion-to-still-be-on-the-mortal-plane that only someone who's been there and done that can recognise. When she meets his eyes, relief flooding her pretty features, she throws her arms around his neck and he melts into her embrace.

Her voice still shakes when she speaks. "I thought you were going to die."

"I thought I was dead," he replies cockily.

Suddenly, everything starts to fit together perfectly, like a puzzle, as Cal figures out the missing pieces. They had entered some kind of trance where they had been shown an illusion of the other dying. Then, the spirits had delivered the ultimatum; save the one you love or save yourself. If Rayla's reaction was anything to go on, she'd made the same choice as he had.

Callum looks up from where he'd evidently collapsed to the floor after drinking the potion and gazes at the nature spirit closest to him. He'd originally pegged them as sweet and innocent but now, viewing their expression in a new light, all he sees are cool and calculating expressions, befitting of their wisdom, painted on each of their faces.

"It was a test," he realises.

They nod, thoughtfully. "And you passed. Most don't." One comments appraisingly.

"Wait, so it worked?" Rayla asks hopefully.

At their affirmation, Rayla's hands go to her mouth in joy and she releases a happy gasp. Finally, she and Cal can have what she's always dreamed of. Moving her hands to the sides Callum's face, she initiates a long, romantic kiss, which he deepens, placing a hand tenderly on her waist and using the other to smooth her snow-white hair. She runs her delicate fingers through his chocolate brown locks, giggling softly when they break apart for air.

"Marry me," she purrs.

Even if they weren't already engaged, his answer would be the same.

"Gladly."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter and if you did, don't be a silent reader! Thanks to my beta midnightpansy!

Click here to follow me: koalala11

PLEASE VOTE!