My Death Will Mean More To You Than My Life
She noticed him. How could she not? He was a part of the army she fought with, under the command of the lords Eliwood, Hector and Lyndis. And it was especially hard to not notice him when the tactician, Lily, ordered him to stand next to her on the rear lines. She had hoped and prayed that he would not notice her...
Minutes turned to hours as the battle waged on. She had taken a lance to her back and an arrow to her arm. Luckily, the red haired beauty with green eyes had been quick to heal her. Any later, and she might have died.
And then...when the enemy in front of her was finally defeated, he turned his eyes towards her. Surprise, astonishment and cheer flickered in those sparkling and lively brown eyes of his. How badly she wanted to smash his face in...!
"Huh? Hey, Rebecca?" he asked, looking at her. She tried to look away, but he knew exactly who she was...dispite having not seen each other for five years. "Yeah, Rebecca!"
"Wil..." she said softly, her beautiful green eyes hard with anger. "I..."
"Hey, don't you remember me? It's Wil! The guy from next door!" Wil kept pressing for a response. Rebecca ignored him and did the order she was given: shoot the Pegasus Knight with her Iron Bow. Another life was cut short by her hand and she felt sorry for a moment for the poor soul. Although Lady Lily taught her fighters to dismiss remorse for enemies, it was a feeling that could not be helped. The young Pheraen archerer quickly looked away to shield her eyes from the gory sight of war and found herself staring into the eyes of an unwelcome visitor.
"Wil! No! Leave me alone!"
"Rebecca, why are you so mad? Why are you ignoring me?" Wil demanded. He readied his bow in preparation for Lily's next order. Another Pegasus Knight was swooping in and Rebecca had exhausted her Iron Bow to all its strength. It was lucky that Lily gave her a Steel Bow to combat with if her Iron Bow broke. Still, Rebecca wasn't quick enough and Wil heard his orders.
"Wil! Take out that unit with your bow!"
"Aye, my lady!" Wil called. He shot an arrow at the Pegasus Knight and prepared to take on another unit...
But he missed!
No more units could move...it was the enemies' turn to attack...was there hope for her? She was right in front of him...
"I don't care what you do, as long as you stay away from me. Stay with your Lady Lyndis, see if I care if she makes you more happy then I do!" Rebecca yelled.
"You can't let it go, can you? From when we were kids?" Wil asked.
"Shut up! Both you and Dan left me and the village alone! Do you even know how much I've suffered?"
Her suffering would only increase...and soon end. The Pegasus Knight Wil failed to kill advanced on Rebecca with a Killer Lance in her hand. A spin of the lance, a darting blow...that's all it took. Right at the moment Wil had realized why his childhood friend had been so mad at him. He could have made everything right...
But he watched Rebecca die in front of him.
The lady Lily rushed over, along with Lowen and Eliwood. Lily ordered Lowen to finish the Pegasus Knight off, which he did with sheer presicion. Rebecca's mouth was spilling blood and she had a giant gash in her chest. If one looked closely, one could almost see her heart beat through the pouring blood.
"Forgive me...brother..."
"Rebecca, please hold on! I...I'm so sorry!" Wil cried, holding Rebecca's limp hand. Tears threatened to stain the ground, but Rebecca could only glare at him with the last of her strength.
"My death...will...mean mo..re...to you then...my li...fe...ever will..." Rebecca spoke her final words and her hand went cold.
"Lily, can't we heal her? Isn't there a Stave that can save her?" Will asked hysterically.
Lily herself was trying to hold back tears, but was starting to fail. "No...there is no use in trying, Wil. This gash is too deep. Staves can heal the skin, but not when so much blood has been lost." She looked up at her lord with a saddened look. "Lord Eliwood, her family...will have to know."
"I understand. I will send a message to the magistrate once the battle is over," Eliwood said, shaking his head. "If only I had not let her come with me, she would still have been alive...Rebecca..."
"If only I had aimed better, that Pegasus Knight wouldn't have lived long enough to kill her!" Wil yelled, his sadness and anger getting the best of him. "I...I can't believe I let her die...and she died not knowing..."
"Not knowing what?" Lily looked over to Wil.
"I never wanted to make her suffer...I left home to make my fortune for my family with my best friend...her brother. But after we departed, I thought he went back to Pherae. She died never knowing that...or that I loved her..." Wil's voice cracked with the threat of tears coming again.
"Wil, perhaps you should bury her...please...feel free to rest. You can join us when...you are better..." Lily said cautiously. She had seen what death does to warriors who had lost loved ones. They become beserk and kill with no regret. Sometimes they do not even notice who they kill, be it friend or foe. Thankfully, Wil retained his sanity long enough to nod, utter his word of thanks and leave while cradling Rebecca's body.
The battle ended soon after, with Guy landing the final blow to Bauker. Castle Caelin would soon be reclaimed. As a knight of Caelin, Wil should have rejoiced at the thought of his lord and leige reclaiming the land.
But all he could think about was Rebecca...and his unkept promise to her.
"My death will mean more to you then my life ever will."
Her final words echoed in his mind. If only he could have assured her that it was untrue! Her life meant so much to him. Her death only left him in a state of darkness...for the rest of his life. He would feel nothing ever again.
Not joy. Not if he could never see her smile.
Not anger. Not if she wasn't there to take it away.
Not love. Not if she was dead.
"Rebecca...you were wrong...and I can only regret never being able to tell you just how much your life would have meant to me if it could have been spent with mine..." Wil said, laying her body to rest against a tree bark. He took a shovel from a nearby house and started digging.
"She would have loved being under a tree...that's what she always loved. All I can do now is try to make her final resting place as close to Pherae as possible...
"Rebecca...please, please forgive me..."
Minutes turned to hours as the battle waged on. She had taken a lance to her back and an arrow to her arm. Luckily, the red haired beauty with green eyes had been quick to heal her. Any later, and she might have died.
And then...when the enemy in front of her was finally defeated, he turned his eyes towards her. Surprise, astonishment and cheer flickered in those sparkling and lively brown eyes of his. How badly she wanted to smash his face in...!
"Huh? Hey, Rebecca?" he asked, looking at her. She tried to look away, but he knew exactly who she was...dispite having not seen each other for five years. "Yeah, Rebecca!"
"Wil..." she said softly, her beautiful green eyes hard with anger. "I..."
"Hey, don't you remember me? It's Wil! The guy from next door!" Wil kept pressing for a response. Rebecca ignored him and did the order she was given: shoot the Pegasus Knight with her Iron Bow. Another life was cut short by her hand and she felt sorry for a moment for the poor soul. Although Lady Lily taught her fighters to dismiss remorse for enemies, it was a feeling that could not be helped. The young Pheraen archerer quickly looked away to shield her eyes from the gory sight of war and found herself staring into the eyes of an unwelcome visitor.
"Wil! No! Leave me alone!"
"Rebecca, why are you so mad? Why are you ignoring me?" Wil demanded. He readied his bow in preparation for Lily's next order. Another Pegasus Knight was swooping in and Rebecca had exhausted her Iron Bow to all its strength. It was lucky that Lily gave her a Steel Bow to combat with if her Iron Bow broke. Still, Rebecca wasn't quick enough and Wil heard his orders.
"Wil! Take out that unit with your bow!"
"Aye, my lady!" Wil called. He shot an arrow at the Pegasus Knight and prepared to take on another unit...
But he missed!
No more units could move...it was the enemies' turn to attack...was there hope for her? She was right in front of him...
"I don't care what you do, as long as you stay away from me. Stay with your Lady Lyndis, see if I care if she makes you more happy then I do!" Rebecca yelled.
"You can't let it go, can you? From when we were kids?" Wil asked.
"Shut up! Both you and Dan left me and the village alone! Do you even know how much I've suffered?"
Her suffering would only increase...and soon end. The Pegasus Knight Wil failed to kill advanced on Rebecca with a Killer Lance in her hand. A spin of the lance, a darting blow...that's all it took. Right at the moment Wil had realized why his childhood friend had been so mad at him. He could have made everything right...
But he watched Rebecca die in front of him.
The lady Lily rushed over, along with Lowen and Eliwood. Lily ordered Lowen to finish the Pegasus Knight off, which he did with sheer presicion. Rebecca's mouth was spilling blood and she had a giant gash in her chest. If one looked closely, one could almost see her heart beat through the pouring blood.
"Forgive me...brother..."
"Rebecca, please hold on! I...I'm so sorry!" Wil cried, holding Rebecca's limp hand. Tears threatened to stain the ground, but Rebecca could only glare at him with the last of her strength.
"My death...will...mean mo..re...to you then...my li...fe...ever will..." Rebecca spoke her final words and her hand went cold.
"Lily, can't we heal her? Isn't there a Stave that can save her?" Will asked hysterically.
Lily herself was trying to hold back tears, but was starting to fail. "No...there is no use in trying, Wil. This gash is too deep. Staves can heal the skin, but not when so much blood has been lost." She looked up at her lord with a saddened look. "Lord Eliwood, her family...will have to know."
"I understand. I will send a message to the magistrate once the battle is over," Eliwood said, shaking his head. "If only I had not let her come with me, she would still have been alive...Rebecca..."
"If only I had aimed better, that Pegasus Knight wouldn't have lived long enough to kill her!" Wil yelled, his sadness and anger getting the best of him. "I...I can't believe I let her die...and she died not knowing..."
"Not knowing what?" Lily looked over to Wil.
"I never wanted to make her suffer...I left home to make my fortune for my family with my best friend...her brother. But after we departed, I thought he went back to Pherae. She died never knowing that...or that I loved her..." Wil's voice cracked with the threat of tears coming again.
"Wil, perhaps you should bury her...please...feel free to rest. You can join us when...you are better..." Lily said cautiously. She had seen what death does to warriors who had lost loved ones. They become beserk and kill with no regret. Sometimes they do not even notice who they kill, be it friend or foe. Thankfully, Wil retained his sanity long enough to nod, utter his word of thanks and leave while cradling Rebecca's body.
The battle ended soon after, with Guy landing the final blow to Bauker. Castle Caelin would soon be reclaimed. As a knight of Caelin, Wil should have rejoiced at the thought of his lord and leige reclaiming the land.
But all he could think about was Rebecca...and his unkept promise to her.
"My death will mean more to you then my life ever will."
Her final words echoed in his mind. If only he could have assured her that it was untrue! Her life meant so much to him. Her death only left him in a state of darkness...for the rest of his life. He would feel nothing ever again.
Not joy. Not if he could never see her smile.
Not anger. Not if she wasn't there to take it away.
Not love. Not if she was dead.
"Rebecca...you were wrong...and I can only regret never being able to tell you just how much your life would have meant to me if it could have been spent with mine..." Wil said, laying her body to rest against a tree bark. He took a shovel from a nearby house and started digging.
"She would have loved being under a tree...that's what she always loved. All I can do now is try to make her final resting place as close to Pherae as possible...
"Rebecca...please, please forgive me..."
