SA | We'll meet again

Warning: Character death and very poor spelling

He coughed, his face contorting in pain with the convulsion of his body. His eyes lay hollow in his face, throwing deep shadows under them and making him look like a ghost. A single tear slid down Rena's cheek as she stood next to the bed her husband lay on, her hand soothingly rubbing his. His dim eyes saw the light catching on the salty drop and he tiredly stretched out his hand. "Don't move," Renata told him softly, but sternly, quickly bowing down. He caressed her cheek, wiping away the tear of his wife's face even though the movement hurt him. His hand was trembling and his brow, already damp with sweat from the fevers, became even wetter. He heaved a painful sigh. "Don't c-cry," he croaked before coughing again. He tried to smile and Rena's heart broke.

"Don't ask me that, Lothos," she whispered, taking a cloth and gently dabbing his face with it. He closed his eyes, the cold seeming to slightly sooth him, if only for a moment. Her medicine was not working, she could see that. She had given him everything she knew off, even asked Isis but the venom had already crept too far in his system. His body was too damaged, his organs slowly shutting themselves down. Even the painkillers were barely working any more. Her husband was only a shell now from what he used to be. A skeleton before her eyes. She had sent her daughter out to play to keep her from the horrid sight. She wanted Izel to remember her father as the smiling and laughing man that picked her up and told her stories, not the  decaying body that lay in this bed. She knew it was already too late, but that didn't prevent her from wanting to keep trying.

Another cough wrecked Lothos' body and Rena fetched a glass of water, gently pressing it against his lips. A few drops made it down his mouth, but more coughing came and Lothos shook his head. "E-enough." A weird gurgling sound made the cleric feel nauseous. His longs were filling with fluid, she could tell he had difficulty breathing.

"Cascade is calling me," the sudden sentence made Rena snap her head to the side. Lothos' eyes were dull and unseeing, staring into a place she could not see. "No," she whispered. "No!" She called, grabbing his hand. "Do not answer, my dear. I need you here." She looked at him pleadingly.  "Izel needs you here!" A sob shook her body and Lothos' eyes gained some focus again. "Izel, I want to see Izel. Where is my little girl?" Renata shook her head, taking his hand and placing it back against her cheek. "Don't let her see you like this. She's still so young." She hoped he'd understand. Lothos' eyes flicked to her. "Renata." The word was clear and filled with emotions words alone could not tell. It made her eyes water, knowing what he meant. He was going. "Please." He smiled at her quietly his thumb giving a quick stroke to her face before it fell back to the bed. "It's okay. We will meet again in my next life. I'll love you and Izel then again."

Tears freely fell to the ground as Lothos blew out his last breath, his chest falling and rising one more time. Renata clung to his body long after it had grown cold and it was Isis that came and pried her away from the body. "Be strong, Rena. Be strong for Izel."

Izel. Renata's thoughts turned toward the girl. She was a widow, but her child one without father. She dried her tears, calming herself. It hurt loosing a friend, family, a loved one. No doubt for Izel, a mere child it'd feel ten times as strong.

"I will balm the body and prepare for the ceremony," she heard Isis saying. Renata nodded, suddenly feeling very dull as she saw her husband being wrapped in pristine white sheets. "Go get, Izel."

Only hours later they would give Lothos back to the sea. In the waters of Cascade in which he was once born, the stallion found his final end.