Some Things Defy Explanation
TW: Death, Blood, Animal Death
It wasn’t supposed to end like this. It should’ve been at sea, in a battle alongside men and women she trusted, aboard her ship….or with Tayela, Tristan, Garver, those she loved at her bedside. She should have gone out in the midst of adrenaline, riding it like a wave until there was nothing but darkness or light, she wasn’t sure which would be awaiting her at the end of her life. She should have been peaceful, as easy as falling asleep in her bed, an old woman, comfortable and loved, secure in the knowledge that she had done all she could for them.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
“Regent, a word?” The simple request had become so mundane, so ordinary that it hardly fazed her anymore. Where it had once been grating, as foreign to her as the language of the orcs, it now felt as routine as the evening walks with Sailor. “Yes?” She asked, turning to the guard. Randolph, that was his name. She had made a point to recognize each of them, to know a little about their lives when not on duty. Randolph, she recalled, had a wife and two young boys. He cared deeply for all three. This practice, remembering her men and women, was something she had done for years. Making yourself their friend, at least in a small way, helped keep them loyal, made them sure that you were on their side.
“I hope this ain’t outta line, but...I wanted to ask if you’d allow one of us to accompany you on your walk tonight?” He asked nervously, glancing to the large grey wolf at her side. “Those woods are dangerous and you never know….” Randolph trailed off, unsure why exactly he was bothering to warn her. She was capable of taking care of herself, especially with Sailor at her side, but something was making him feel uneasy. A pit in his gut, and his mother had always told him to pay attention to those feelings.
Leona simply shook her head and smiled, leaning down to pat Sailor gently on the head. “Aw, now Randolph, there’s no need to worry about us. We’ll be fine. This big ol’ lump will make sure I’m safe, and I never go out unarmed. Now, get on home, I know that wife of yours will have supper on the table and she’ll have your ass if you’re late.” Randolph sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck a moment. He knew she was right, on all counts, but that feeling just wouldn’t go away. Regardless of how concerned he was, he knew the regent well enough to know she wouldn’t be swayed. Woman’s as stubborn as a mule, he thought to himself. “Ah, well, you’re right about that now. S’pose I’ll be seein’ ya tomorrow then, lady Regent,” he replied regretfully, as he headed down the hall.
“It’s just Leona,” she called out, waving a hand a bit before heading out the door.
Randolph was the last of House Blackfyre to see the regent alive.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Her mind screamed it, over and over, until it was nothing more than a whisper, a desperate plea to whatever god would hear her. Sailor lay panting at her side, blood pouring from the gunshot wound on his flank. He would be gone soon, and her heart broke at the thought of it. Turning her gaze away from him, she dug her hand in his soft fur. She’d be there for him, but she couldn’t stand to watch him die. Moonlight drifted down through the bare limbs of the dormant trees. Winter in Redcliffe was truly beautiful. The bullet that had struck the regent had left her unable to move most of her body. The fingers buried in Sailor’s fur, and her head seemed to be the easiest to move, but the strength for even that was fading, so she settled her gaze on a tree in the distance and waited. Over and over she kneaded her fingers against her beloved wolf, until she realized he was no longer panting, he had gone completely still.
A broken sob escaped her, tears streamed down her face, until in the distance, she thought she saw movement. The tears that filled her eyes blurred the vision, but for a moment, she was sure she had seen her beloved Tayela. Moments later, the regent of Blackfyre, the Captain of the Sea Wolf, mother, grandmother, lover, friend to few, but loved by them each, drew her last breath.
“Ay George! They’re over here. If this’n ain’t the biggest deer we’ve got so far then I’m one ah those ugly ass mountain ettins.”
“Keep your damn voice down, Ed, if we get caught poachin’ on Blackfyre lands no tellin’ what they’ll do to us.”
The two poachers, one tall, one short and fat, approached what they assumed to be their kill. They stumbled with each step, the ale they had near drowned themselves in leaving their judgement, and their vision severely impaired. As they reached their kill, they immediately realized their mistake. The brown leathers and the fiery red hair of the regent had somehow, in their drunken state, resembled a deer to the two idiots. The wolf at her side, well, they simply hadn’t seen them, and for the life of them they couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed them. Some things simply defied explanation.
“That’s the light damned regent you fuckin’ idiot!” The one called Ed exclaimed, gripping his compatriot by his shirt front. He had seen her only once before, at Redcliffe when he’d come seeking judgement on a dispute with his neighbor, but he’d have recognized her anywhere.
“Oh shit,” the one called George said quietly. “Should we...should we call the guard?”
“And get hanged for murder? Fuck that. Leave ‘em here. Let the wolves get them, or the guard find them. I ain’t gonna die for this.” George nodded, dumbfounded by the night’s events. With a glance over his shoulder, he turned to follow Ed, who had fled without a second look.
(( @house-blackfyre-wra @garverdragonblade @lady-tayela-blackfyre ))
