Dark Crow Rising

"P-Please don't leave me..." I cry as I grit my teeth towards the pain all over my body. Crying only makes it worse even though it's all I can do. My body locks up as best as it can and I howl as my eyes continue to flow. Someone lends me what magic they can, but it's not enough.

Wherever I am, this isn't my bulb, there are no comforting rose-coloured bed covers. My love isn't holding me as a new day greets us, the first day of our growing child. None of it is here, I am being looked after by caretakers far away from my homely bulb. A sharp ache shoots through my head.

Clutching my skull, I cry as pain inside and out screams in agony, all through one faucet. I feel the urge to get up despite all of this, though. Cold dread freezes me in place as memories flash in my eyes. A moment of bliss and safety turned to bloody horror so inexplicitly and so very suddenly...

Each image drags more and more tears out, I sniffle as my fists tighten on the quilt.

"You're finally up." a grim, flat voice points out as that aura of magic makes it clear who. The Valkinvar is here...

"C-Can... Can I help you... Valkinvar?" I ask as my caretakers put me back into bed properly. They increase the amount of magic they're giving me, but it barely dulls anything as they're weak and I hiss as I try to keep still. One of them wipes my eyes dry for the moment and their hands gently restrain me.

"Your tent, what happened in there before I caught you." she gets straight to the point. A roar echoes in my head as the parts of me my love first started to crush flare up.

Barely being able to glance down at my hands, I try to reach my abdomen as I silently beg that at least something good might've come of this...

"I was going to become a mother..." I acknowledge as I move my hands slowly away from my empty belly. I am not going to be a mother, my love is gone, he's gone...

"What did you do?" she demands to know as I shirk away at the accusatory nature of it. Something other than pain flares up inside of me.

"I embraced the man I loved is what I did!" I hiss as I pick up on the subtle way her sword grip changes without flinching. The Valkinvar's badge of office, given unto them for War itself.

She sighs before her head hammers the pommel once, driving its impossibly sharp tip firmly into the ground, "Please... Explain, what did you do? Why did Nin... Why did something try to kill you?"

I freeze up as mere words cut into me finer than even that edge ever could. Staring down at my chest, I look at the teeth marks on my left breast. I pleasurably mistook it at first, but then I felt his teeth sink in. He had tasted my honey and something happened. A finger goes along the partially healed, heavily bruised skin.

"I... I... I don't..." I fail to answer as the tears break out again. It all happened so fast, we were happy, our love was about to be proven.

No...

That's why he left when I gave him the wine, that is why he was trying to leave!? He knew if he stayed, I'd be in danger! My efforts to show him how much I loved him made him... I...

Focus becomes extinct in my mind. Nothing stays still, even with the pain roaring at me to keep still. My inability to keep my emotions in check, to hold myself together turned my love into a monster... The warnings were all there, but I didn't pay attention.

I assumed the Thief when all my love wanted was to keep me safe. I gave him honey in a glass of wine and he shoved me away before he vanished for the night. He warned me that night. I did not listen and learn.

Distraught screams leave my mouth as I break down crying. My voice quickly becomes hoarse and my true-voice blows its fuse. Caretakers try to get me to calm down, they try to soothe and heal me, but I don't want it. I fight back against the grips they apply to my injured body.

"MY LOVE! I'M SO SORRY! I'M SORRY!"