He lay atop a bed of blood red roses. Her mind couldn’t process the scene, and great sobs ripped from her throat. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She cursed her God, she cursed his Goddess for allowing this to happen. Moving forward on her knees, she slowly, inch by inch came closer.
He looked so peaceful, a smile upon his face. His sword lay across his chest. They had dressed him in an armor of red roses and a vine of thorns wrapped itself around his sword. Those beautiful blue eyes were closed to her.
A voice tore through the quiet. “What have you done, Cathal of Laren, why did you bring this creature here?”
Kayleigh ignored the emotion laden voice. She had to get closer to him. Had to touch him one last time. The bed of roses he lay upon was thick with thorns. They cut into her flesh as she grabbed the vines to pull herself to her feet.
She climbed, one hand hold at a time, pulling herself to his side, ignoring the barbs that ripped her hands.
Tears blurred her vision. Her sweet Diarmuid. She took one of his fisted hands and brought it her lips. Looking down she saw the lock of hair she had given him held tight within that fist. Even in death he had kept her with him.
She crawled atop the flowers, her tears falling. She cupped his face in her hands and as she leaned down to touch her lips to his, a drop of blood from her wounds fell upon his colorless lips.
copyright 2004, by Michelle Bailey
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2 comments:
*glares* You're trying to pull a Joely, aren't you? You're trying to break the Ice Queen!
*crosses arms* Well, it won't work. Crawling across a bed of thorn-laden roses with gasping, heart-wrenching sobs...just isn't...*sniff*...enough....
I love this, Michelle! So many elements that speak to me--the roses, the blood, the grief. I think it's the roses and "cathal" but this reminds me of the scene in Guy Gavriel Kay's The Darkest Road at the end when the Prince dies so Arthur doesn't have to.
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