༼and I know you're going to need me here with you༽
"I... I wasn't right..."
"Bloody hell you weren't!"
༼but I'm losing myself and I'm afraid you're going to lose me too༽
"I'm sorry, okay! I can't stop it... I really can't..." Alistair bowed his head and nearly fell again. Arthur caught him and let the man lean on him a bit.
༼this magic keeps me alive༽
"I-if... If any of that hurt you I'm sorry..." Alistair whispered as he took a timid sip of his drink. Arthur slapped the bottle out of his hand, shattering it on the tiled floor of the kitchen. Alistair's eyes widened and his gaze turned as cold as ice.
"What the hell did you do that for?" He snapped, pulling away from Arthur.
༼but it's making me crazy༽
"You need to stop! Don't... Don't drink anymore..." Arthur whispered. "Please..." His emerald eyes were wide and pleading and almost snapped Alistair back to reality. Almost.
"I DON'T HAVE TO!" He shouted, slapping the man across the face. Arthur winced as his fingers flew across his scar from the previous night.
༼I need to save you༽
Alistair's hard gaze softened somewhat, though he still drilled daggers at Arthur.
"You aren't going to tell me what to do anymore," he growled, his voice low but powerful as he stormed out.
༼but who's going to save me?༽
Arthur, rubbing his cheek apprehensively, followed him, genuinely worried about his brother. Alistair turned as he realized he was being followed.
༼please forgive me for whatever I do, when I don't remember you...༽
"GO AWAY DAMMIT!" Alistair shouted. "WHY WON'T YOU GO AWAY?" He smiled, insane and maniacal. "You know what?" Alistair said, his voice suddenly quiet. "I'll be the one to leave..." He reached to his belt and pulled out a .40 pistol. Slowly but surely the Scot leveled the barrel with his head and there was a small click as he cocked it.
༼I can feel myself slipping away༽
A shot rang out. Alistair fell to the ground and Arthur fell to his knees with him.
"No... Alistair..." Arthur threw the gun away from him and leaned over his brother, who's life was slowly slipping away.
"I'm sorry..." Alistair whispered.
༼I can't remember what it made me say ༽
Arthur frowned and tears ran down his cheeks. "I love you... No matter what you say to me I love you..."
༼but I remember that I saw you frown༽
༼I swear it wasn't me, it was the crown. ༽
Alistair nodded weakly and coughed up a few drops of blood. "I'm sorry..." He whispered hoarsely.
"Shh, don't speak... You'll... You'll be okay... You have to be okay..." Arthur was sobbing like a little kid now. He laid his head on Alistair's chest gently as the last of his brother's life ebbed away. Arthur felt Alistair's chest heave as he murmured his last raspy words:
"I'm sorry..."
༼this magic keeps me alive༽
When Alistair's chest stilled, Arthur broke down. He sobbed and cried and grieved like he never had before.
༼but it's making me crazy༽
It hurt. It hurt more than the words, more than the abuse. It hurt because Alistair couldn't trust him to make things better. He couldn't trust Arthur to help him; didn't believe in any other way out.
"Alistair..." His chest ached as the realization of it hit him. His brother, his older brother, gone. Dead. Because of him.
༼and I need to save you༽
"I love you... I love you so much..." He whispered the words over and over again, nursing some kind of vain, childish hope that they would bring him back.
"Who's going to protect me now..." Arthur whimpered, salty tears forming a wet spot on the man's motionless body.
༼but who's going to save me༽
"I'll never forget you, Alistair Kirkland..."
And he picked up the pistol.
༼please forgive me for whatever I do, when I don't remember you...༽
༺ ～ ᎦᏦᎩᏋᏝᎯᏒ ～ ༻
Ꮠ ᏒᏋᎷᏋᎷᏰᏋᏒ ᎩᎾᏌ
Start from the beginning
