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CHAPTER TWENTY

He would never see Gracyn again, never hug him, tell him he was doing okay even when he felt like a failure.

He'd never see Bex again, never see her change, see her grow and become a better person, see her love and trust again.

He would get to rescue Emile, never thank him for all the good he did for him, never thank him for saving his life.

And he would never see Felix become a military caption, reunite with Emile, or learn to fight with anything but anger and sadness.

He would never see the end of this war, never see the queens get married, never see Gracyn and Stephen go on a date, a real date, never see Bex open up.

It was done, it was over.

He'd failed. He'd failed. He'd fail –

"NO!" A voice pulled him out of his pitiful moment of near death, and he suddenly felt himself leap involuntarily into the wall, and onto the floor. His vision went hazy but he managed to see a figure that looked to be Stephen, in the place that he once was.

The dagger.

The ice.

"Stephen!"

He didn't mean to call out his name, it just came out, and he reached out, as if to try and grab him, but it wasn't working, his hands went numb, skin tingling as he watched Stephen look at him, his fearful eyes masked by courage as the blade impaled into his chest, and ice seemed to explode into his skin, tearing the fabric of his shirt, and was made visible on his skin as he hunched over the wall.

Anger surged through Conner's body as he lashed out at Celeste, his hand's a ball of flame as he slashed at her, and he felt his hand's collide with her arm, and he felt the skin sizzle in his palm as he burned her.

His eyes, unknowing to him, had turned pitch black as he raged out, reaching for Celeste's neck. He was going to kill her, he had every intention of killing her where she stood. He was ready to see her burn to ash.

And then, without warning, she disappeared, leaving a cloud of smoke, and Conner fell to his hands and knees, coughing, unaware of his surroundings as the smoke disappeared, and he was suddenly reminded of the harsh reality he was in.

Stephen!

Conner jumped to his feet and stumbled, running to the wounded servant as he gasped for air, his shaking hand reaching for his chest, and the dagger that was still sticking out of it. He felt the breath be knocked out of him as he looked at the blood that still pooled out of him, even with the dagger still in his ice cold skin. "Oh my god, Stephen!" He cried, tears streaming down his face as he grasped the handle of the dagger.

"P - Pa - Pull it out!" He ordered, shivering, "it's fa - fre - ...it's freezing me!" He managed to say, and Conner clenched his eyes shut before nodding and pulling out the dagger, and was forced to listen to Stephen's pain filled screams as they bounced off the cold walls of the catacombs.

Conner was shaking, placing his hands on the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "Don't move, okay? Please, Stephen, Gracyn needs you!"

He could feel his body temperature heating, maybe overhearing.

"Hold on for me okay!?"

The blood pooling past his fingers was hot, overwhelming.

"I can't - I can't breathe..."

'He's going to kill me' he thought, 'oh god he's going to kill me.'

"Just calm down, help is coming, okay? Breathe for me."

"I c-...I can't..."

"Yes you can!..Just - Just hold on!"

Suddenly, the doors of the catacombs creeped open, and three people rushed in, Conner didn't have time to identify them through the tears in his eyes, and the blood he was trying to stop. "Where have you been!?" He shouted at the figures, only seeing Rivera as a familiar face as she knelt close to them, helping him stop the bleeding as Stephen began to cough violently, blood pooling out his mouth.

"He's dying, Conner."

"Where were you!?" He shouted at her, and she jumped.

"We had to leave, the catacombs were crumbling, did you not hear the – "

"Where's Gracyn!?" He practically screamed at the woman, who's hands were now covered in blood, "Stephen hold on, Gracyn he – "

"Gracyn..." Stephen groaned out, and Conner rapidly nodded, "wha...I..."

"Shh...Just - ...Just breathe."

Conner heard someone rushing down the stairs, and his stomach tangled into knots. He knew who was coming, and he instantly felt weak, angry, and sad, all at the same time.

Gracyn.

He looked up at his friend, covered in blood, tears streaming down his face as the reality of the situation seemed to strike Gracyn like a bullet and he ran to the two of them, while the other three backed away. "I - I tried - " he struggled to speak as Gracyn moved him out of the way, he stood up and now saw that the three figures were Bex, Felix, and River.

"What happened!?" Gracyn asked, his voice cracking in anger.

Stephen rose a weak, bloodied hand, that caressed Gracyn's already salty, tear stained cheeks, "Gracyn..." He croaked out, and Grace forced himself to look into the fading eyes of his dying lover.

"No. Nononono, everything's gonna be okay, baby! Everything's going to be okay!" He wept, getting up close to Stephen so he didn't have to force himself to speak, "stay with me baby, stay." He encouraged, his hand's pressed against the wound.

"Gracyn, please...Stop." He said, loosely grasping Gracyn's wrist, and he slowly pulled away from the wound.

"No, no Stephan I can't, you'll die!" He insisted, but something in Stephen's sad, dying eyes made him stop. "Baby no, please no. Let me stop the bleeding."

"I'm...Already dying, Gracyn." He said, giving him a weak smile, "I'm so...Sorry."

"No! No Stephen not you too, please God no!" He begged, placing his forehead against Stephen's, listening to his loud, but slowing heartbeat. "Please...Don't leave me, not now." He wept, his tears not stopping. "God no."

"I...I l - love...I l've...You." He struggled, slurring his words, and Gracyn let out a sad laugh, forcing a smile as he kissed Stephen's blood stained lips.

"I love you too, please Stephen. I love you so much I was just – "

"I know." Stephen whispered, "I...I know."

Six more words, five more breaths, four more beats, three more blinks, two more uncontrollable sobs, and one more kiss.

"Please don't go, I love you!"

God no, this wasn't happening. Not again, not now, not here.

One more kiss, his lips are cold, practically numb, but he manages a smile, you made him happy. He made you happy, whole.

His voice, the one that made you melt, his touch, the one that burned holes into your skin, his kiss, sweet like all sorts of candy, his caress that made you shiver.

He was gone.

Stephen Tayloss, was dead.

[ AUTHORS NOTE ] ;;

i cried while writing this chapter, ngl. anyways i'm sorry, i really am, but conflict is a thing, and i need it to happen, and y'know stephen felt like...the perfect candidate for it.

HE WASN'T ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO DIE I SWEAR.